Thinking About Luan Loud
by The 21st Century Pendragon
Summary: Thanks to Luan's stand-up comedy routine, she gets a secret admirer. Likewise, Lincoln decides to hook him up with her. But will this pursuit for love end in anything but love...or laughs?
1. Chapter 1

**While I am not yet done with Lana's story, here I give you another story, featuring Lincoln and one of his sisters. This time, as requested by** **pinksakura271, littlealexmartinez61910 and a guest commenter, here is one about Luan.**

 **To give a little back story, Luan is my favorite Loud sister, so far. I have a weak spot for bubbly, jokester girls. So naturally, Luan appealed to me. I am waiting the moment she gets a much deeper exploration in the show. For now, I crafted this story about her relationship with Lincoln, and a pursuit for love. Hope you enjoy!**

At an autumn school fair, an open mic session is happening. Students go up onstage to perform music, do a spoken word, or make a standup routine. Luan Loud decides to do the latter as she climbs onstage.

Luan starts her routine, "Hey guys, you know, I love the fall season. It's beautiful to see the brown leaves fall. Like a scene in a romantic movie. But you know what is not beautiful nor romantic? For me to fall to from this stage."

And on that joke, the audience of students and their families start to slightly snicker.

But Luan recovers with a punch line, "It's at least better to think that way than say 'I'm falling for you'". This prompts for the audience to laugh. Upon saying that line, Luan points anonymously to a certain Asian student.

The 14-year-old jokester continues with her standup successfully.

"You know, I don't get harvest time. Usually, we get our crops when they are freshly grown in spring, not a time when they are about to die. So, why call it harvest-time? Might as well call it a rescue mission to save the vegetables before they die."

With her is her sole brother Lincoln, seated at the front table, who is laughing alongside with the audience. He then narrates to the readers.

"Not a bad thing for a standup. Glad there is an audience that appreciates Luan's jokes. You know, starting from us, we had a hard time tolerating Luan's jokes."

 _Flashback #1_

Luan spots her oldest sister Lori, as usual, texting by the couch. She takes the moment to tell a joke, "Hey Lori, what do you call the phone that makes a good musical instrument?"

Lori snaps at her, "Luan, my phone has a piano app. So, that counts."

Luan then answers, "No silly. It's a xylophone. Hahaha. Get it?" With that, Lori grumbles in annoyance.

 _Flashback #2_

Luan encounters Lana, playing on a mud puddle on their yard.

"Hey Lana, what you doing?" Luan asks.

"Making the ultimate mud fortress for Seymour," Lana answers.

"Cool. Where is he?"

"Oh, he's in his terrarium."

"Good. Better remind him to park his car at the right spot, or else it might get 'toad'."

As she hears the supposed joke, Lana tries to figure out the joke and finds out eventually with a palm slap to her face.

 _Flashback #3_

Lucy is walking across the hall, presumably heading to the bathroom. Luan then walks by and crosses paths with Lucy.

"Hey Lucy, wanna hear a trivia?" Luan asks optimistically.

"If that trivia does not involve anything macabre or closest to macabre, that would be nails to my ears. But go ahead," Lucy answers bluntly.

"Okay, what's the definition of a will?"

"What?"

"A dead giveaway," Luan answers and laughs hysterically

Yet, Lucy snaps back smugly, "As much as I appreciate your dark humor, it is still corny."She then walks away from Luan.

"Come on, don't be a killjoy," Luan replies, still laughing hysterically.

 _Flashback #4_

Luna and Luan are relaxing in their bedroom. Luna is strumming her guitar for practice, while Luan sits by her bed, writing effective jokes.

Lincoln voices over on his narration, "Even to Luna, whom Luan often tries her jokes to, has a little annoyance to Luan's antics."

Luan lays down a joke to her sister, "Luna, how about this? What do you call a cow with no legs?"

Strumming her guitar, Luna responds, "Dunno. What?"

"Ground beef. Hehehe. Get it? What you think?"

Luna bluntly switches her eyes to the readers and turns back to her. "Needs more cowbell, sis," Luna snaps back with a snicker.

However, Luan returns with a punch line, "Oh, how moo-tivating, sis! Hahahaha." This makes Luna facepalm.

 _End of Flashbacks_

Lincoln continues his narration, "Luckily, besides dad, Clyde and Lily, I was one of the few people to tolerate her jokes."

Flashback #5

Lincoln is reading his newly bought comics on the living room couch. Luan pops behind him.

"Hey Linc, what do you think of this joke?" Luan asks to her brother.

"Uhmmm sure. Okay…" Lincoln replies.

"What falls in autumn?"

"What?"

"Leaves. Hehehe. Get it? Leaves fall in autumn."

"Yeah, the punch line is pretty obvious. Might as well go the extra mile."

"Like how?"

"Like say, 'Leaves fall in autumn. I am sure they are in love at the season'. Hehehe. Get it?"

"Hmmm that's a clever punch line. Man, I fall for that. Hehehe."

Alongside, Lincoln and Luan laugh at their joke exchanges. This prompts Luan to take Lincoln out of all her siblings to the school fair for the open mic session, to which Lincoln gladly accepts.

 _End of Flashbacks_

Lincoln concludes his monologue, "So she opts to bring me. And what can I say? I may dislike some of her jokes, but it's better to appreciate that there is a comic relief in your family." He then proceeds to listen back to his sister's standup routine.

Luan lays her joke material, "While I was watching a show in Animal Planet once, I saw how polar bears progress in emotions. They were commonly shown to be quiet and simple. But when someone snatches their food or invades their space, they tend to be aggressive. These bears jump from shy, cute types to angry killing machines. Might as well call them bi-polar bears. Hehehehe."

The audience, along with Lincoln, roar at Laun's story. Luan replies to keep the momentum going, "I guess they can't 'bear' their emotions that much. I guess being too much cold means they need to be hot-headed. Hehehe. What can I say to that? Just chill bears. Hehehe."

With that, the audience keeps roaring in laughter.

After the fair, Lincoln and Luan walk home in content.

"Hey Luan, that was brilliant of you onstage. I didn't know dad jokes could work on some kids," Lincoln compliments.

"Actually I was kind of surprised too," Luan responds, "I always think that my jokes would be too pun-heavy that it will take away the 'pun'. Hehehe. But it kinda works."

"It does. This may be hard for me, but you should keep doing it."

"Really?"

Lincoln responds with a nod.

"Aww, thanks Lincoln. I appreciated that you accepted my invitation. And I am glad you appreciated my jokes," Luan expresses her gratitude, and they both share a hug.

However, at a distance, a guy is calling to them. "Hey! Lincoln! Lincoln!"

Two guys, presumably from school, approach the duo. One guy is Hispanic with a tan-colored skin, has an afro, red shirt and blue pants. And the other guy is Asian with a mild brown skin tone, wears a blue shirt and leggy jeans.

The first guy says, "Lincoln! Sorry, it's me, Ralph from the book club. I lectured you guys of how you can cross Ernest Hemingway and rap."

Lincoln then recalls his time at the book club and thusly remembers, "Oh, Ralph. You sang that 'Hamilton' song."

"Don't need to bother," he replies, "Anyway, we would just like to say how we appreciated your sister's standup routine. We love it. You should do it more often."

"Really? I am flattered guys. Thanks!" Luan expresses her appreciation.

"Anyway, there is another open mic session next Saturday in the Royal Woods book fair. I think you should try that," Ralph suggests.

Luan figures it out if she is willing to try another standup. Nevertheless, she says, "Hmmm…we'll see, if Saturday night's alright. Hehehe."

"Oh, by the way, my buddy Waldo here is a fan of your work. He likes to meet you in person," Ralph says as he pushes his friend in front of Luan to meet her.

Nervously, then timidly, he says, "Uhmmmm hi…I'm Waldo…"

"Hi there!" Luan greets back, "You seem so stiff."

Waldo nervously chuckles at her observation. With that, Ralph assists him. "Anyway Waldo, here is a gifted child."

"Well, not necessarily gifted," Waldo replies.

"Oh, come on, everyone is gifted but some people never open their package. Hehehe. Get it?" Luan jokes, prompting the two and Lincoln to laugh along, with Ralph being the loudest.

"That's actually pretty funny," Ralph reacts.

Luan continues to throw more punch lines, "See, you just need to break out of your shell because we are never born in one."

"That's really clever." With that, Luan and Waldo laugh along with each other, with Lincoln and Ralph being content at this sight. However, Lincoln checks the time and reminds Lincoln of their curfew.

"Ohh, we better go," Luan says to the guys, "Nice to meet you, Ralph and Waldo. Hey, don't have a hard time looking for this guy. Hehehe. Get it?"

"Yeah, I get that joke a lot," Waldo reacts.

"We'll see you guys!" Lincoln and Luan say goodbye to Ralph and Waldo, as they walk back home.

"Well, that wasn't bad of a meeting," Ralph utters, "See? You can overcome shyness over Luan."

However, Waldo's attention is on to Lincoln and Luan, or specifically Luan. With that, he replies in a rather infatuated tone, "Yeah…Luan."

Realizing that Waldo is in fact in love with Luan, he replies, "Knew it, lovebird."


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Lincoln, Luan and Clyde take a trip to the mall and stop by at a bookstore. Lincoln and Clyde browse through the comic books section, looking for potential comics to buy.

" _The Uncanny Ace Savvy and One-Eyed Jack_ ," Lincoln reads the label.

"This one is a classic," Clyde comments, but boasts another comic book, "But I bet it won't be as better as this comic book line."

" _Ace Savvy vs. the World_ ," Lincoln again reads the label. "It seems like a good take. But I have to finish the saga where he defeats the Russo Roulette."

Lincoln then pulls out a related title, making Clyde anticipate in glee, "That is why we can agree on this – _Ace Savvy and the Red Dawn_. They say it had the greatest revelation of Ace Savvy's true identity."

That fact just makes the two shriek in excitement, "Yes! Sold!"

"I wonder how much it costs," Clyde speculates, making the two look on its price, which is at $69.99.

"Yeah, you cannot expect a dollar store price with this brand new baby," Lincoln replies as he always knew that the price will range high. They walk to the counter to check out cheaper comics.

"Hey, excuse me, are there any cheaper _Ace Savvy_ comics?" Lincoln calls out the customer service personnel. "Yes sir?" the personnel turns to Lincoln. He reveals himself to be none other than Waldo from yesterday.

Recognizing him, Lincoln replies, "Hey! Waldo right?"

Waldo also recognizes Lincoln and Clyde. He recognizes Clyde since the three are in the book club together. "Lincoln Loud, you are here! And…you also brought Clyde McBride with you."

"Nice to see you, Waldo," Clyde greets Waldo, "Glad you recommend me to watch that Crown series."

"Told you that British monarchy cannot be boring," Waldo brags. "So what can I do for you, fellas?"

"Well, just gonna ask if there are any Ace Savvy comics we can buy," Lincoln requests.

"Hmmm… _Ace Savvy_ comics?" Waldo examines, "Let me see if I can find one you can afford."

While Waldo searches for Ace Savvy comics from the cabinet, Lincoln says to him, "I didn't know you work here, Waldo."

"It's a family business, Lincoln," Waldo punctuates, "My dad runs the place."

"Oh, never thought he would actually like comic books."

"Actually, I'm the one who likes comics. He was just inspired of me, that it led to this." Waldo then takes a bundle of cheaper but good quality _Ace Savvy_ comics. He spreads them on top of the glass display. "Take your pick. But I recommend this. _Ace Savvy vs. The Kaijus_. Crazy Godzilla story but fun.

Lincoln and Clyde grab the comic book, taking a glimpse over the eccentric but awesome comic book.

"That would be $10.99," Waldo confirms, making Lincoln and Clyde look at their budget and discover that they only have a cumulative $15 in their pockets.

"Man, I always thought I could use a $9.99 treat," Clyde implies.

"Better ask Luan," Lincoln proposes as he heads to his sister.

At the mention of her name, Waldo twitches expectedly. "Wait, Luan's here?!"

"Mhmm…she thought she could accompany us here since she's looking for a comedy book," Clyde answers, making Waldo laugh nervously to hide his attraction to Luan. "Wait, how come you know about Luan?"

"Uhmmm…" Waldo stutters.

Back at Lincoln, he approaches Luan, who is browsing at comedy bios. "Hey Luan!" Lincoln calls out his sister.

"Oh hey Linc, got the comics you need?" Luan asks.

"Yeah, but it's for $10.99," Lincoln explains, "Me and Clyde only have $15 a total."

Now that she hears that, Luan thinks of treating Lincoln since he chaperoned her to last night's standup gig. "Don't worry about it bro. I'll pay for them," she says.

"Oh! Really?" Lincoln happily exclaims.

"Consider it a treat for being there for me last night," Luan assures, patting Lincoln's head. The latter cannot help but be overjoyed. She then picks out the item that she will buy. "Hey Linc, check this out!" Luan points to a book entitled _The Art of Making Duck Soup_ from the Marx Brothers, which Lincoln reads the title of. "Oooh, and it has the movie's CD inside," she points out, "Maybe we can watch after our gigs."

"That would be perfect!" Lincoln agrees as they head to the cashier.

Back at Clyde and Waldo, Clyde is explaining his theories of the series he just watched when Lincoln and Luan enter the scene. Of course, a sight of the comedienne makes Waldo get nervous.

"Hey Luan! You…ahh…uhh…you're here," Waldo nervously implies.

"Oh it's you from last night," Luan recognizes Waldo, "Glad you didn't went lost. Hehehe."

Waldo goes along with Luan's joke, even though he heard it a million times, "I always get that a lot of times."

"Well, here you go," Luan says as she lays down the book, "And add the two comics to that."

However, Waldo keeps his eyes on Luan, fantasizing her as the perfect representation of Waldo's ideal girl: funny, bubbly and has a ponytail. "I do not which comics are you talking about: the comic books or you?" Waldo attempts a clever but corny joke, to which he laughs at, then Luan.

"Hehehe. Man, that joke would really fill up a whole bucket of popcorn," Luan follows it up with cornier joke, which they both laugh at.

"Okay guys, we get that you like corny jokes," Lincoln says, annoyed.

"Ohh gravy, can't believe we can pop many corny jokes fast as possible," Luan realizes while laughing along with Waldo.

"I guess we got so corn-ered to make bad jokes. Hehehe," Waldo throws in another quip, keeping them laughing.

"Aww, shucks," Luan replies, making them burst into more laughter.

"Ehhemmm," Lincoln signals them to stop.

Trying to hold his laughter, Waldo says, "Well that would be $44.97."

Still laughing, Luan gets $50 from her wallet and hands it to Waldo. Waldo exchanges it with their change and places their items in a paper bag, and is still laughing.

"Hey, going to the book fair?" Waldo asks to Luan.

"Well, haven't thought about it. Me and Lincoln still have gigs to handle," Luan ratifies.

"Gigs?" Waldo wonders."We're doing children's birthday parties," Lincoln adds.

"Oh. Like clowns?"

"Depending on the crowd," Luan clarifies. "We also do mime acts and standup routines."

"Oh. Well, nice to know then that there's such thing as funny business. Hehehe."

"Actually, that's the name of our business. Hehehe," Luan points out, making the two laugh again, "No, for real, it's the name of our business. Funny Business Inc: Your fun is our business."

"Oh, that's a clever business line," Waldo gets the idea, as Luan picks up their items. "Well, see you around!" she bids goodbye.

"Yeah see you dude back in book club," Clyde follows along, with Lincoln right after, "Yeah. See ya!"

"See you guys!" Waldo greets them goodbye as they leave the store. As they step out, Waldo mumbles with an infatuated tone, "Goodbye Luan…"

The next day, at Lincoln's school, the 11-year-old is currently eating lunch with himself. He is still waiting for Clyde to get his order. This gives an opportunity for an overeager Waldo to pop in front of him and confront him.

"Lincoln!" Waldo calls him, "Glad I found you!"

"Waldo, what you're doing here?" Lincoln asks, "Aren't you supposed to be in the other building?"

"Nahh, it's our lunchtime too," Waldo replies, "I used this period to tutor some kids."

However, Lincoln raises his eyebrow from what he claims. "What? It's an incentive program," Waldo defends, "High school students get to have raise in grades when they tutor younger students."

"Okay, what you want?"

"I need to tell you something."

"What? Wait…don't tell me. Is this about the _Ace Savvy_ comics?"

"Well…sorta…not kinda…" Waldo tries to blurt out his words but he still inhibits his shyness.

"What? Are you not gonna tell me?"

Then, out of pressure, Waldo ultimately interjects his thoughts, "I wish to be friends with Luan." Afterwards, he sweats profusely from his force.

"Wait…what you mean?" Lincoln interrogates Waldo.

"I mean. I wish. To hang out. With Luan," Waldo forces his words out.

"Ohh. Why don't you tell her that?"

"I…" Waldo tries to nervously get away from showing his obvious affection to Lincoln's prankster sister. "…can't find her anywhere. So I thought to tell this to you."

"Then why me?" Lincoln asks, as he spots red flags from Waldo's actions: nervous tone, hiding words with vague words and asking his sister out. "Oh, don't tell me. I know what's going through your head."

"How did you…?" Waldo terrifyingly asks, "I mean, don't tell this to her. I mean it's not real. I just want to offer friendship with her. Nothing else." He assures this with a smile. "I am sure you want to settle this in a win-win situation."

With that in mind, Waldo pulls up prestigious _Ace Savvy_ comic books out of his bag and shows them to Lincoln. Lincoln cannot help but drool in front of it.

" _Ace Savvy_ ," Lincoln reacts while he drools.

"So?" Waldo asks.

"Let me think about it," Lincoln answers.


	3. Chapter 3

He decides to discuss this with his secret date, Ronnie Anne Santiago, as they eat lunch below the bleachers.

"…And he says he wishes to be friends with Luan. Doesn't that mean something else?" Lincoln argues.

"Linc, I think he just wants to be friends with Luan. Simple as that," Ronnie Anne picks up her observation from what Lincoln explains to her.

"Yeah, but I sense something from him. Yesterday, he is working at the bookstore, and they both share laughs," Lincoln adds to his case, "They seem to have something in common. I see something from him that he wants to…wants to…"

However, Ronnie Anne calms him down, "Linc, you're overthinking this. It's just like a guy asking a girl out for coffee. It's just coffee. Don't need to insert feelings there. Same thing here. Okay, maybe he got a little bit excited. But that's no problem."

"I don't know Ronnie Anne. I just don't want her to end up being heartbroken," Lincoln emphasizes, "Lori faced a heartbreak once when Bobby failed to reply to her many times. And I have to drag my but Bobby's house and confront him about this. Being the only brother in a family full of girls, I just hate seeing my sisters upset." Upon saying this, Lincoln declares it with conviction, down to empathy, making Ronnie Anne pat his shoulder.

But abruptly, Clyde enters the scene and calls out the two. "Sorry to interrupt lovebirds, but you better get outta here. The maintenance guys are gonna clean the bleachers."

With that signal, the two pick up their lunches and head off. "I'll tell you what. Give some time to think about it," Ronnie Anne advises Lincoln, "And if you think Luan needs a little love here, it's up to you." After that, they walk off from the bleachers, with Lincoln pondering on Ronnie Anne's advice.

After school, Lincoln returns home normally, with no 'loudness' to take care of. With that, he visits Luna and Luan's room. "Luan, you there?" Lincoln calls out his sister. Thankfully, he spots her in her own bed, reading the Marx brothers book she bought but is sulking through it.

"Luan, what's wrong?" Lincoln asks.

"You know, the Marx brothers are true geniuses in comedy," Luan says, making Lincoln agree, "Oh, I definitely agree."

However, Luan sticks to brooding over that fact. "That's the point. They are true geniuses that the best thing I can do is just be inspired and mimic their antics. I need fresh and original material for our acts, and I don't know where to start." The comedic sister gets more upset on this fact that she removes her yellow scrunchie, letting down her hair messily in despair.

Over a distance, Luna, who hides her head from reading a rock magazine, instantly notices this and races to her sister's aid to fix her hair. "Luan!" she exclaims.

Meanwhile, Lincoln tries his best attempts to cheer his sister up. "Well, you can lend more jokes.""Oh really. How about this joke?" Luan asks for Lincoln's guidance, "Why can't the pirate watch a movie?"

"Uhmm why?" Lincoln goes along.

"Because it was rated arrrgghh. Hahaha. Get it?" Luan answers in a monotonically sad modulation.

"Uhmmm…not bad," Lincoln gives his comment, making Luan groan.

"See what I mean," she testifies, "I don't have any fresh jokes on my sleeves because I don't wear sleeves."

"Don't worry, let me cheer you up," Lincoln lends his assistance, "And maybe you can think of fresh material.

"Lincoln then starts off with sucking a balloon's helium. In a squeaky pitch, like a chipmunk, he says, "Here, hope this routine would heal-ium. Hahaha. Get it?" But Luan is still depressed.

Lincoln moves to the next routine, which is attempting to stand on top of a watermelon. "Come on Luan! Let's roll and drive that melon-choly away. Hahaha." And predictably, Lincoln trips and lands on the watermelon, squashing it. But Luan is still depressed.

Finally, Lincoln goes along with another routine: riding her unicycle while juggling oranges. "Let's see your smile Luan. We don't want to see your face o-range from sad to lonely. Hahaha." However, Lincoln drops from the unicycle as he cycles on one of Luan's whoopee cushions and collapses towards Luna. The two heed from their fall.

"You done amusing bro?" Luna asks bluntly.

But Lincoln turns to his comedienne sister. "So what you think?" Still, Luan is depressed.

With no other choice, Lincoln resorts to another help he can surely count on, "Well there's only one more thing to do." He then speeds to his room and phones Waldo from his bookstore. Waldo picks up the phone and answers, "Lee Bookstore. This is Waldo speaking…"

"Waldo, it's me, Lincoln," Lincoln replies."Oh Lincoln, never thought you would call."

"Listen Waldo. I've processed what you said earlier. And yeah…I think I may use your help. You can be friends with Luan.

At that good news, Waldo responds, "Really?"

"Just come with me after school. I'll bring you to one of our gigs. Hope you can help her?"

"Uhmmm uhmmm…yeah…yeah I can do. Help here…in what?"

"She's kinda in a comedic crisis. Might need help for her material."

"Luan needs help in her comedic crisis? Sure, will do. And you'll never have to utter 'Don't cry, sis'. Hehehe. Get it?"

"Uhmmm great. Hope I can count on you."

"Don't worry Lincoln. I won't let you down." Then their phone conversation ends.

After that, Waldo Lee rests on such a good news that it brings to his utmost fantasy. "I won't let you down, Luan Loud." And at that fantasy, Waldo dances with Luan in a yellow gown, just like Belle in _Beauty and the Beast_ , in the tune of this song:

 _So, honey, now take me into your loving arms_

 _Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars_

 _Place your head on my beating heart_

 _I'm thinking out loud_

 _That maybe found love right where we are_

But he quickly snaps to reality when a male customer with a trucker's hat calls out to him. "Uhmm where can I find the cooking book section?" the customer asks as he nonchalantly looks at Waldo kissing a Harley Quinn cutout.

Awkwardly, Waldo points to the direction, "It's right there." As the customer walks away, he resumes to his fantasy, thinking of the romantic things that could be fulfilled, " _Thinking about Luan Loud that we may find love right where we are…_ "


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, after school, Waldo is waiting for Lincoln to get out of his class. Realizing the vital need that Lincoln needs from him for Luan, the 15-year-old Asian student gets both the jitters and excitement from this.

Lincoln finally exits the school premises and spots Waldo on standby.

"Hey Lincoln!" Waldo greets him, "So what's our plan? We need some schematic strategy in order to cheer your sister up."

"Okay Waldo, before we get our hands on deck, let me make it clear. You will just be there to cheer up Luan," Lincoln reminds him, "Anything beyond that is sanctioned for breaking the trust."

"I thought you want me to be friends with Luan?" Waldo affirms.

"Just making sure that you don't cross the line…" Lincoln says with extreme suspiciousness.

Waldo sweats over Lincoln's presumed overprotectiveness. "Can we proceed to Luan right now?"

Afterwards, Lincoln and Waldo stroll towards the venue for Luan's next clowning gig, which is in a mansion. Before approaching Luan, Lincoln changes to his clown assistant uniform while Waldo glances the façade of the mansion, realizing the lengths that Luan's clown business had reached. They then proceed backstage.

Over there, Luan, on her clown outfit, takes a peek at her audience, which half consists of children ages 4-11, and the other half includes teenagers, parents and other adults. She gets easily scared of presenting, even though her act is pretty much automatic to her mind. Feeling depressed, she utters to herself, "Come on Luan! You better get your act up! You can do this. I can't do this."

Lincoln and Waldo are able to arrive on time. "Luan!" the former calls his sister out.

"Lincoln, you made it on time," Luan says, "And Waldo? What you doing here?"

Waldo, however, stutters in response.

"I just brought him to see how you do your stuff," Lincoln answers, making Waldo nod.

"Well, you're gonna see a disappointment in your eyes. Sorry about that Waldo," Luan regretfully claims.

"Wait Luan, you can't go out there with that look."

"I have to, Lincoln. I am paid to do so."

Looking at each other, Lincoln and Waldo try to come up with ways to cheer Luan up.

"Luan, come on. Seven days without a pun makes one weak," Lincoln motivates her, to no avail.

"I know. I am dry of puns now," Luan laments.

"How come?" Waldo asks, "Was the pun so hot that it makes everything dry? Hahaha." Waldo's joke is ineffective that Luan fails to react. "Hayy…sorry about that. I thought that my punny side up would actually make you feel better. But I guess it came off as a burn for me."

But Luan lets out a snicker from Waldo's clever use of puns. This prompts Waldo to throw in more, as he observes the clouds covering the sun. "Luan, I know at times that the pun doesn't seem to shine. But there's one thing that can."

"What is it?" Luan asks.

"Your smile," Waldo replies, causing Luan to get motivated but blush secretly, and for Lincoln to raise an eyebrow. "So come on Luan. The kids needs to see your smile to shine their pun-less day. You can do this!"

"You're right Waldo! I can do this. Time to shine bright like the pun! Hahaha," Luan excitingly proclaims, as she dons her rainbow afro wig and proceeds onstage.

Amazed at that moment, Waldo reacts, "Well, that went well."

"A pickup line? Seriously?" Lincoln brings this concern to him.

"What?" Waldo responds as Lincoln glares at him suspiciously. "That's the best I can do."

Luan starts her clown act, which involves hitting herself with a pie.

"Why are clowns never bored?" she asks the audience, "Because they like to keep themselves occupied." Lincoln then throws a pie at her in practice.

The 14-year-old entertainer awaits for a response, only to her a few people snicker.

"Sure is piece-ful among the audience right now," Luan goes along with her act, "Oh wait, I forgot. I must pay respect. Let us give a moment of piece to the one that just pied."

At that response, some of the audience members laugh, prompting Luan to continue her stint. "Sorry for that. I actually promise to the pie that I would not throw him to my face. But I just broke our crust."

The audience laugh collectively as Luan continues. "You know, I've been slamming pies all my life. And the worst about getting hit in the face with pie is it never ends. Whatever the circumference is, you need to keep hitting yourself with pies." And at that statement, Luan gets hit by a pie, thrown by Waldo.

"And I'll tell you this. Life is like getting your face hit by a pie. You cannot live solely in one piece. You need to take it a whole. It will custard, sure. But in the end, we will satis-pied."

Subsequently, she gets acclaimed reaction from her audience, especially with the kids, who all clapped and hollered in praise. Luan then throws whipped cream pies to the kids, to which they enjoy.

"That's a wrap guys. Thank you!"

After a successful gig, Lincoln, Luan and Waldo walk back home (with Lincoln pulling the wagon).

"Never knew I would be that successful after a bad day I had," Luan says, "Well thanks Waldo for the encouragement."

"Well, thanks. But don't thank me. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Lincoln," Waldo acknowledges.

Luan then gets Lincoln and cuddles him by the head. "Aww Lincoln, thanks for being a great assistant."

"Wow. Just amazed of how dedicated he is."

"Yeah, that's our Lincoln. We knew that he'll always be there for us, and we'll be there for him."

Then Luan and Waldo exchange laughs with each other.

"Well, we better get home now," Luan says.

"Yeah, see you then," Waldo bids them both goodbye, but asks this, "Hey Luan, if it's not a bother, can I go with you on your gigs? I mean, I'll just…watch…you know…and probably help. I know you have Lincoln by your side. But if ever, you need…"

"Oh sure Waldo. I would be honored to invite you," Luan replies openly.

"Really? I mean that's great!" Waldo reacts enthusiastically, "And don't worry. Anything at all, I can help you."

"Good. Now Lincoln can take you to our next gig tomorrow." This makes a dismayed Lincoln twitch in shock.

"That's wonderful. I can't wait what you have in store!"


	5. Chapter 5

The following day, after school, Waldo is excitingly waiting for Lincoln's arrival to take him Luan's next gig. The teenager cannot wait to get closer to the "love of his life". And he thinks at any opportunistic moment, he can share his feelings to Luan that this can lead to a merry romantic relationship with each other.

After moments of fantasizing, Lincoln finally exits the school building with Clyde, making Waldo wave to him.

"Lincoln! Lincoln! Over here!" Waldo calls him from a distance.

"Is that Waldo?" Clyde asks to Lincoln.

"Just get to my place by 6. I need to handle this," Lincoln replies, making the two part ways. Lincoln then approaches to an overeager Waldo.

"Oh boy, can't wait to see Luan perform again!" Waldo expresses his excitement, "I wonder what she's going to do for her act."

"Okay Waldo, I think we better refresh from what we agreed on," Lincoln tells him.

"What? I thought we agreed that I become friends with Luan?"

"Yes. That's clear. But there's no agreement that says you can throw pickup lines at her."

"Well, that's just a lucky shot. What else would I do to cheer her up?"

"You could have done something else!"

Waldo can only glance at how Lincoln takes this seriously. Though he realizes that Lincoln gets the picture of his true intentions to court Luan, the teenager tries to hide his obvious feelings.

"Why don't we talk about this later? I'm sure Luan does not want her clown assistant late," Waldo insists, making Lincoln furious.

A stroll later, Lincoln and Waldo arrive at a community center where Luan's next gig will be held. They go to the outdoor lot where they see a huge audience of kids and adults alike.

"Psst…guys, over here!" Luan calls the two from the room backstage.

"That sure is one big crowd," Waldo remarks.

"I know. I can see the pressure boiling," she replies.

"Don't worry, Luan. You got everything handled. You rehearsed all, right?" Lincoln tries to motivate.

Luan takes deep breaths to gain confidence. "I can do this. I can do this," Luan spouts.

"You can do this, Luan. Every clown has a silver lining," Waldo proudly acknowledges. Thanks to his clever pun, both he and Luan take a laugh at it.

"Man, I feel I was on clown nine with that joke," Luan replies, making the two laugh further.

"You know, life's good moments are like clowns. You gotta send them in," Waldo adds, making their laughs uncontrollable.

"I cannot…calm…clown…" Luan remarks while cackling. Both of their laughs are truly uncontrollable.

Annoyed, Lincoln calls them out, "Would you two pipe clown? Luan, you still got a show."

Both Luan and Waldo try to cease their laughter by just cackling up.

"Well, better hit the stage," Luan says as she pulls out her unicycle and rides on it.

"Oh, Luan, might I suggest you do improv?" Waldo advises.

"Improv? Haven't tried it for a while," Luan replies.

"You do jokes. So I think come up with one on the spot."

"Well let's see." After that, Luan proceeds to the stage on her unicycle.

"Break a leg, Luan!" Waldo wishes good luck to her. He then sees Lincoln give a suspicious look at him. "What?" he reacts

The Loud comedienne is about to perform her act – the usual unicycle balancing act, alongside juggling.

"What'd you say we go ball-out with juggling all of the balls from the basket? Hehehe." Luan asks her audience, but they are irresponsive. Despite that, she tries to get along with her act.

"You know, there's one thing circling on my mind. Aside from the balls I'm juggling. A ball's shape is a round shape right?" The audience collectively responds to Luan's monologue with hubbubs, majority of which agreeing to Luan's query.

"Well, I try my best to think of well-rounded jokes for you all. But here is the thing, it's kind of pointless, because they are 'round'. They have no point. But let me finish. I keep on thinking if I should use my old jokes for you all."

"What's she doing?" Lincoln asks from backstage.

"Relax, it's all part of her show," Waldo assures.

"I used the same old 'ball' joke for a lot of birthdays. So that joke has been circulating for a long time," Luan lays her punchline, prompting the audience to laugh. "And it never hit me. Now Lincoln, can you come here onstage and bring the basket?"

With that, Lincoln does what Luan orders. She then encourages her audience, "Why don't we give a hand to Lincoln?"

"Now, give me the rest of the balls," Luan commands as Lincoln throws all of the balls in the basket, making Luan juggle ten balls. The audience is amused of the number of balls that Luan is able to juggle.

"You know, there's one wonderful thing about juggling, aside from that you can do it. It's going ball-istic of the things you can do, like shooting like a basketball. Lincoln, ready?"

As Luan calls out his name, Lincoln responds, "What?"

And by that, Luan swings each ball she juggles to Lincoln's direction in bullet speed. Lincoln dodges them, due to their tremendous force. However, those balls hit on Waldo.

"Lincoln! It's basketball, not dodgeball," Luan berates him in pretend, as she swings on more ball to Lincoln, making the latter dodge and having the ball hit on Waldo's face, landing him on a pile of balloons.

The audience, along with Luan and Lincoln, notices Waldo's fall. Waldo, on the other hand, notices that he has a balloon on his mouth, but its helium bursts to his mouth.

"Waldo, are you okay?" Luan asks.

"I'm okay. That's some ballsy move," Waldo replies with a high-pitched chipmunk voice, effect from the helium. His voice makes the audience laugh at him, making Waldo kind of embarrassed.

"Glad you're okay my friend. Now can you give me one ball, so we can continue," Luan says.

Waldo then gets one ball and throws it to Luan's direction. However, the ball instead hits on Luan's face, prompting her to fall to another pile of balloons. Luan gets up to notice a balloon on her mouth, prompting its helium to emit to her mouth.

"That knocked me out of the ballpark," Luan in a high-pitched chipmunk voice reacts, making the audience holler in acclaim.

"You okay Luan?" Waldo, still in his helium voice, asks as he helps Luan get up.

"Yeah, that didn't turned bad at ball…" Luan reacts with that punchline, prompting them to laugh, then eventually discovering the audience applauding to them.

Luan then raises her arm, along with Waldo's, to the air. "Waldo everybody!" she encourages. However, this makes Lincoln get petrified in disbelief.

It is also then that at that moment that Waldo realizes he is actually holding Luan's hand. And savoring this perfect moment, with the Ed Sheeran song "Thinking Out Loud" playing on his head, he realizes he has 100% chance on winning over Luan Loud.

After a successful gig, Lincoln, Luan and Waldo walk home, with Lincoln again pulling the wagon, only heavier this time.

"Man, that was awesome! Just looking at how the audience reacts! Just…wow!" Waldo expresses his delight.

"That's the just the tip of the iceberg of being a clown, even though we're not that cold," Luan remarks with a punchline, leading them to laugh again and making Lincoln more irritated.

"Well, thanks for the big help again Waldo," Luan shares her gratitude for him.

"Like I said Luan, anything at all, I can help you," Waldo assures, leading Luan to clasp her hand to Waldo's.

"Well, see ya!" Luan bids him goodbye, but Waldo calls her back, but stutters along the way, "Wait, Luan! If it's not a bother…uhm…uhm…can…can we…or….ccc….can I hang out with you?"

Waldo's request scares the heck out of Lincoln, crossing his fingers that Luan would not accept his invitation.

However, Luan replies, "Sure. Let's meet in my place. Lincoln can take you there."

"Tomorrow?" Waldo asks.

"Hmmm. There are no gigs tomorrow. So, sure," Luan answers assuredly.

At that declaration, Waldo (on the inside) gets excited at the prospect of his chance to Luan. But Lincoln (also on the inside) gets devastated that a suspected suitor is going to pursue his sister. With that, Lincoln is petrified at this.


	6. Chapter 6

Lincoln is still mortified at the fact that his dear older sister Luan is hanging out with a boy. He shares his thoughts to Clyde, Lynn and Luna.

"I just can't handle it. Before, he was like, 'I admire Luan for her comedy'. Then, he was, 'I wanna be friends with Luan'. But now, he was like, 'I like to take your sister to hang out with me'. I just don't like how he pursues her," Lincoln relays the happening in an agitated manner.

"Wait, who we exactly talking about here?" Lynn asks.

"Lincoln thinks Luan has a secret admirer who wants to date her," Clyde explains.

"Ohhh…" Lynn replies."Maybe you are overthinking about this, Lincoln. You might need a little melody to calm you down," Luna suggests, pulling out her acoustic guitar and strumming an instrumental of "Photograph" by Ed Sheeran.

Lincoln goes along with sharing his thoughts. "Hayyyy…I just don't know how think about him. Maybe he might be in his 'evil scheme' to take her away."

"Okay, Lincoln. Maybe you have gone too far with your overprotectiveness," Clyde implies."Gone too far?!" Lincoln reiterates, "Okay Clyde, if you were to have sister and she is dating someone, how would you react?"

"I would be proud but concerned of how does this dating goes…" Clyde answers with gaps on the middle.

"Exactly!" Lincoln emphasizes, "I may be accepting but I would not forget being concerned on who my sister is dating."

"But what about us? We didn't mind that you were dating Ronnie Anne," Luna points out."We even supported you two," Lynn adds.

"Just because you are girls. You don't mind who is dating who. You just…encourage," Lincoln justifies.

"Excuse me? Doesn't mean we encourage cutesy romance doesn't mean we can't say 'no'," Lynn elaborates.

Lori then bursts through the door, having heard of the commotion from them. "What's all the hubbub here?" she asks, "I can literally hear you from my room."

"Lori?!" Clyde reacts, surprised at her sudden appearance, pulls out two pieces of tissue paper and places them in his nose. "Ready. Go on," he replies with a nasal

"Lincoln thinks Luan has a secret admirer. So we try to say that it's okay," Lynn relays the events.

"No, it's not okay!" Lincoln stresses, "There's pretty much a big fat line between friendship and courtship."

Then Lori shares her side on the topic, "Look Lincoln, before I and Bobby became as one, we were pretty much great friends. And then we developed until we decided we can work out a relationship. So, the rest is history, till I let you guys know about it. The point is, Lincoln, it's true what you said about friendship and courtship. But it doesn't mean you should be so concerned where it goes."

"But what if he breaks your heart? Doesn't that mean concern for me? As a brother to ten sisters?" Lincoln defends with too much apprehension.

"Lincoln, Lincoln, Lincoln. Just calm down. I get what you are talking about, the same way you confronted Bobby previously," Lori pacifies her frantic brother, "I tell you what. Just give him a chance of being friends with Luan." Though Lincoln wants to address something, Lori continues, "But if there's something bad that's happening, that's where you drop in. Just don't literally be a fool."

"Yeah bro, you were a fool in love. So, don't be fool who rejects love," Luna adds, ending with a guitar riff.

As Lincoln sighs, his cellphone rings, making him answer it, "Hello?...Yes, I am still in the house…Fine, will take you here…Do I have to?...Fine, I'll be there." His sisters and Clyde look to Lincoln on who called him. He confirms, "It is him, Luan's wannabe friend. He wants to visit her."

"Well, bring him here then," Lynn insists, "Then, we take him to the test."

"I'd rather not call you for your 'test'," Lincoln reacts."Just be civil about him, Lincoln. Give him a chance," Clyde advises him.

"And remember, don't be a fool," Lori reiterates once more.

And with that, Lincoln leaves to fetch Waldo from school. But before leaving, Luan pops in front of him with certain news. "Hey Linc! Guess what I found in the Marx brothers book." She then pulls out a DVD of their movie collection, which interests Lincoln.

"Is that a collection of Marx brothers movies?" Lincoln asks.

"Yep," Luan confirms, "It even has _Horse Feathers_. Hey, say we watch it this Saturday after our gig?"

"That would be great!" Lincoln exclaims.

"That's the spirit," she replies, "Well, I have to think of better throwaway lines. Where you heading?"

"Oh, school," the 11-year-old brother answers, "Gonna meet up with someone."

"Well, see you later, alligator. Hehehe."

Then Lincoln sets of to Waldo's high school. As he arrives by the entrance stairs, the 11-year-old sees the Asian teenager amusing an audience of school children with a magic wand. Waldo is pretending to be a street magician, unaware that the wand conjures magic. But he is trying to restrain it, but it goes haywire when it conjures various objects, like cards, water and flowers, making him trip aside. Nevertheless, the kids are amused.

"Thank you children. That's all for the show," Waldo declaims when a water shoots out of the wand, making the children more amused. He then spots Lincoln by the distance and goes to approach him. "Sorry Linc. Just got this wand from book club," Waldo says, "I didn't know it can do magic."

However, Lincoln does the same exasperated facial expression he had from fetching Waldo to Luan's gigs. "Let's just go," Lincoln utters bluntly.

Afterwards, they finally arrived at the Loud house. But before entering, Waldo shares his anticipation, "I just can't wait to see Luan once again. There a lot of things I want to share to her, like more puns, more quips and I want to even tell the story behind this furry tennis ball."

"Okay, Waldo, let's lay some ground rules here in the Loud house," Lincoln proposes, "One, don't ever try to make a fool of yourself. Two, you're the new guy here; so don't attempt to stand out. And three, beware of my sisters."

"You mean your ten sisters?" Waldo clarifies, "What would be something to be cautioned at them?"

Lincoln snickers at this and says, "You wouldn't want to know."

And with that, Lincoln and Waldo enter the Loud House. Little did Waldo know what antics he will encounter, just to capture the heart of Luan Loud.


	7. Chapter 7

As Lincoln welcomes Waldo in the Loud House, the latter sees the whole house in ruckus, as this is a habitual Loud family tradition. Though Waldo feels nervous upon entering the Loud household for the first time, he exhibits a slight hint of optimism.

"So, this is the Loud house?" Waldo utters.

"Not yet," Lincoln replies with a sneaky when Lynn bursts from the stairs and accidentally throws a basketball to Waldo, knocking him down.

"Score!" Lynn exclaims as Waldo gets up from the basketball thrown to him.

"Awww…I guess that must be Lynn…" Waldo utters agonizingly.

"Actually, it's really Lynn. Don't speculate me for a different athlete," Lynn brags, misunderstanding Waldo.

"That's what I said!" he replies

Then suddenly Lucy appears behind and greets him, "Glorious welcome to our temporal household, stranger." This, of course, scares Waldo in the process. "I understand that you are foreign to this realm but let your heart be content of what is to brace you."

After that, Lori walks from behind him, still speaking to Bobby on her phone.

"Lori, I like you to meet newcomer Waldo!" Lincoln introduces the teenager to his sister.

"That's great," Lori utters, but goes back to the phone and reaches her hand to Waldo to shake it without looking at him.

"That seems…rude," Waldo reacts.

"Trust me, she's not the only one who is," Lincoln says.

After that, Lana, who is holding Hops, bursts from the door as Lola chases her on her pink. The former then leaps above Waldo but the latter twin sister bumps her cart towards him, hurling him to the floor.

"Do things always end up like this here?" Waldo asks.

Lana then comes across him. "Hey, can you hold Hops for me?" she asks, throwing her pet frog at Waldo. Hops gets attached to the Asian teenager's face, scaring him.

Waldo then removes Hops, holding him at hand. "Hold him for you?" he utters.

Lola comes across Waldo and asks him, "Oh, you must be the new kid on the block?"

"No, I'm not…" Waldo responds.

"Hi, I'm Lola. Welcome to the Loud house," the bratty 6-year-old gives Waldo a warm welcome, "And don't mind my playful twin sister Lana. She tends to go bonkers with her pets,"

Suddenly, Lisa bursts from upstairs with a boiling chemical. "Everyone back away! Overriding chemical reaction imminent!" she warns everyone.

"Hey, doesn't that mixture smell like potassium hydroxide and hydrogen gas?" Waldo wonders, getting near Lisa's chemical in the Erlenmeyer flask, which combusts to his face.

"I warned you, foreign visitor," Lisa utters, "Apologies for the rushed precautionary measure."

"Nahh, that's okay for him," Lincoln foolishly implies, "He is well-accepting to everything going on in the Loud house."

Hearing this, Waldo tries to stretch the truth to hide the fact that he is hesitant to accept Luan's siblings, "Everything? Yeah…I am…yey…"

"So, who this might be?" Lisa asks.

"This is Luan's friend, Waldo," Lincoln formally introduces Waldo.

Lori overhears this and instantly triggers this, "So, you must be Waldo, Luan's new 'boy' friend?"

"Well, not really 'boy' friend. Just…friends," Waldo clarifies.

As it is a trope around the Loud siblings, hearing news that correlates to romance is a talk-of-the-town. This causes then for the sisters (except for Luan) to surround him in sheer delight, teasing him.

"So, let me ask Waldo, how long have you been friends with Luan?" Lori interrogates Waldo, making the latter stutter.

"I know what would be a good introductory song for you," Luna says, as she plays the first chords of "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton.

"I don't think that would be necessary, Luna," Lincoln remarks.

"Oh, I'm sorry I hit your head, Waldo. It would be a bad impression to let Luan see you like that," Lynn implies, reaching an ice bag to the part where he got hit.

"No, really, I'm fine," Waldo insists.

"Your soul trembles at the presence, at the arrival of such essence, shown of your blood flowing intense," Lucy utters a poem for Waldo, "That's a free verse for you."

"Trust me, my blood flow is okay," he defends nervously.

"But we need to tidy him up for Luan, Leni suggests, "Might I suggest a plaid button-ups and casual pants."

"Trust me, I'm fine," Waldo persists.

"Awww, he's too excited to see his love," Lola teases him.

"What? No, no, no, I'm not here to see my love Luan…I mean my love is not Luan…" Waldo denies stutteringly with a slight blush on his face, making the sisters tease him. He tries to retreat from Lincoln's sisters, since he is too insecure to show such presence. "Okay, I might just wait outside instead."

"This is getting better I expected," Lincoln utters, "Or not."

As Waldo crawls away from Lincoln's sisters, he gets up but gets spotted by his sisters, scaring him. He tries to flee from them but ends up tripping. However, he is caught at hand by none other than Luan.

"Oh, hey Waldo! Never thought that you would land on my arms. Man, that was handy. Hehehe. Get it?" Luan says jokingly.

"Luuuuuuaaaannn," Waldo utters as he fixes himself up quickly. "Uhhmmm never thought that…"

"It's okay. Got that from visitors. At least you didn't fall on to their schemes. Hehehe," Luan replies.

"Yeah…" Waldo reacts, making the Loud sisters hoot to him teasingly.

"Why are you encouraging him?" Lincoln complains, predictably.

"So, up for an adventure?" Luan wonders.

"Uhmmm…where?" Waldo asks.

"Nahhh, just for ice cream at the park. People nowadays call it an adventure. I say they crave for a chilling experience. Hehehe," Luan jokes, making the two laugh.

"Nahh, sherbet they can have a cool experience," Waldo jokingly adds, prompting them to laugh and going on a pun exchange.

"Man, people like that sure need to appreciate their dairy lives. Hahaha."

"Or, probably cone up with fun ways like this. Hehehe."

"I'm sure they don't melt that way. Hahaha."

"I'm sure sundae they would understand. Hehehe."

"Now that would be a good news scoop. Hehehe. Get it?"

Both Luan and Waldo keep on laughing on their exchange of puns, making the Loud sisters react sweetly with an "Awww…" but causing Lincoln to frown heavily.

"We'll be back guys at sundown before dinner," Luan reminds the siblings.

"Off we go," Waldo utters, as both he and Luan go out for an ice cream.

"They look so sweet," Lori reacts, "Why still in denial Lincoln?" But Lincoln can only sigh at this sight.

At the park, Luan and Waldo sit by the pavements since the benches are occupied. They then took the time to get to know each other. Luan talks about her profession as a clown, a content producer for her YouTube channel and an aspiring comedienne. And Waldo talks about his slices of his life.

Waldo is currently narrating about his furry tennis ball, "And so I thought, as a toddler, I could be like my pet kitten. So, I…kinda licked his ball…that is kind of covered with his fur."

"Eeeeek…" Luan reacts, "That's really peculiar."

"Well, I was a kid. So I have no idea that dreaming to be like my kitten is so silly. But I love my kitten. So, this tennis ball is my closest memory of him, after he passed on," Waldo narrates.

"Gosh, that was furry tragic. No pun intended," the 14-year-old says.

"It's okay. It's a long time. Besides, I'm happy that I still have his favorite ball. It's my lucky charm."

"You sure believe in superstitions?"

"Uhh, not really. Just cat-ching on my memories." Waldo's intentional pun makes them both laugh.

"So Luan, how were you able to get your sense of humor?" Waldo wonders in curiosity.

Luan then narrates, "Well, it started when I was little. Dad keeps throwing these lame jokes that he tries to impress mom. But she tries to like them, at her best. So, I decided to actually laugh along with him. There started my knack for puns. I tried to throw in jokes like 'where does a dog watch cartoons?' or 'why did the chicken cross the road'. But my sisters and brother try to appreciate them. Well, at least Lincoln and Luna really appreciate them. So I thought to find an audience who can be pleased by my jokes."

"Woah, that's really deep…to find…your footing on your sense of humor," Waldo mumbles.

"What was that?" Luan asks, not hearing Waldo clearly.

"Ahh nothing. What I'm saying…is there are people who really like your humor," he implies nervously.

"Yeah…but anyway, it's a job of a comedian keeps his or her audience happy, and also himself or herself happy," she emphasizes.

"But you are one of the happiest people I ever met."

"Aww…thanks Waldo." With her expression of gratitude, Waldo cannot help but feel glad about it.

After a long afternoon, Waldo takes Luan home at an early sunset.

"Well, that was indeed fun," Luan says.

"Yeah, but the ice cream was kinda okay…" Waldo reacts.

"Yeah, the spicy one sure doesn't taste like bubblegum. Kinda like spearmint," Luan adds.

"No, I don't mint that," Waldo responds with an unintentional pun, causing them to laugh.

"Knew that was to cone up out of nowhere," Luan adds, continuing their laugh.

As Waldo opens the door for Luan, the duo sees Lincoln waiting by the door with a frown on his face.

"I thought you would be back by sundown?" Lincoln implies.

"Well, it's rather early. But better than late," Luan indicates, causing Lincoln's snap at Luan to fail.

"Just get in," Lincoln says to Luan.

But before doing so, Waldo and Luan greet each other goodbye.

"Well I better go," Waldo says, "So, tomorrow again?"

"After our gig, you drop by," Luan assures.

"Sure, that would be fine!" the 15-year-old agrees, "See you then!"

Luan then suddenly hugs Waldo, as part of her gratitude for hanging out with her. "Thanks for today," Luan says, as Waldo departs. Luan's sudden hug causes for him to fall in love more with Luan but for Lincoln to be at shock at their supposed development.

Outside, Waldo utters woozily, "She likes me. She likes me. She hugged me because she likes me!" Luan's friendly gesture has Waldo in his wildest fantasies on his romantic pursuit for Luan that as he walks off, he imagines himself dancing to "You Make My Dreams" by Hall & Oates, complete with exaggerated imaginations of a responsive water fountain, courteous pedestrians, a flash mob and a Disney bird. (I guess you know what movie I am referencing here.)

Waldo can only mesmerize at the euphoric state he is right now. He is thinking about and falling for Luan Loud more.


	8. Chapter 8

Everyday has never been better for Waldo. He feels like his on top of the world every time he gets to bond with Luan. He can just stroll outside and dance to happy beats like "Happy" by Pharell Williams or "Can't Stop the Feeling" by Justin Timberlake, for how overjoyed he is of his progress with Luan. And the previous hangout was just the tip of the iceberg for the two.

After that, Luan and Waldo start to hangout often. The daily routine goes like this: after school, Lincoln takes Waldo to Luan's clown gigs, where he stays as this assistant while Waldo becomes part of Luan's act; then the pair hangout without Lincoln, since he takes their stuff back home; and both of them go to different adventures while Lincoln quietly sneaks on them. Luan is delighted that she has a friend to share her passions with. Waldo is ecstatic of his chances to make Luan his girlfriend. And Lincoln is wary of the growth of Luan and Waldo's "friendship". To sum them up briefly, all three parties have their individual views of this relationship.

As for the hangouts, Waldo takes Luan to a stroll in the mall, a night at the opera, a visit at a whacky museum, a try at a buffet restaurant, a film showing of a Coen Brothers' movie, a sneak to a space observatory and a crash to a kid's birthday party where they riff the clown's performance. In the midst of that, Lincoln tries to sabotage their near intimate moments but he ends up getting jaded in various hijinks like tripping to a fountain, being thrown for disrupting silence, arguing with art enthusiasts who beat him up, having a lobster claw his nose, forcing to serve popcorn, being caught on act by a guard and taking a dive, just to entertain some kids.

On the 9th hangout, Waldo takes Luan to a campground with a lake by the outskirts of Royal Woods. At that night, a sky lantern festival is being held. To get a better view, Waldo takes Luan for a boat ride to accomplish a "romantic" feeling. She gets onboard, wearing a cap for the first course, Lincoln is there to sabotage their "date". He takes one unoccupied canoe (made out of straw) for a ride and grabs a fishing rod with him.

As the night falls, Waldo initiates their conversation, "Well, what day it is."

"Yeah," Luan agrees, "You know, I just remembered earlier that one kid with the orange-brown hair, the tooth gap, the freckles and the big ears, I called him after the show and told him 'you must be that seventh dwarf, the one who can't speak'. Then he spoke to me and said, 'what me worry?'. And then I replied, 'and now, you're a Neuman." They then laugh at this story, having gotten to the reference there.

"Man, good thing he wasn't insulted," Waldo says laughingly.

"Nahh, I just told him 'if you don't get it, go ask your parents, or read a book,'" Luan replies.

"That was indeed a blast."

After a laugh riot, it goes silent as the two wait for the sky lanterns to appear.

"When will the lanterns fly?" Luan Waldo decides to throw in a pickup line, "I don't know. Why do stars fall down from the sky every time you walk by?"

"What did you say?" the comedienne asks.

"Uhmm…I…uhmmm…uhhhh…nothing," the 15-year-old teenager shrugs.

Afterwards that awkward encounter, Waldo pulls out a sky lantern set to build their own. "Hey check this out! We can build our own sky lantern."

"Really?" Luan replies.

"Yep. We just need to follow these instruction," Waldo confirms, opening an instruction manual.

Meanwhile, as the two assemble their own lantern, Lincoln sneaks from a dark part of the lake to get a glimpse of the two lovebirds. He is in an all-dark gear, as if he were Ethan Hunt in _Mission: Impossible_. The 11-year-old then brings out his fishing rod and prepares to aim Waldo. The plan is to latch Waldo by his pants with the rod's hook and drag him to the lake.

While aiming, Lincoln overhears them joking around."I can't wait to see this lantern's dreams of flying come true," Luan says."Yeah but make sure not to make it heavy. Don't wanna burn this guy's dreams. Hehehe," Waldo jokingly implies, prompting them to laugh.

"Good thing he's a-light. Hehehe. Get it?" Luan jokes, making them tease louder.

Of course, Lincoln is enraged by this sight and takes his plan to full execution. He practices his swinging by swerving the rod front and back. And, at a ready aim, Lincoln releases the hook, just as Luan and Waldo finish assembling the lantern and prepare to send it off. However, the hook lands on the edge of the boat, marking the plan a failure. Out of frustration, Lincoln wheels the hook back to the rod, but hook remains latched on the boat. But with a strong force, the 11-year-old pulls the hook, causing him to slip from his canoe and upturn it, and for Waldo to lose balance, let go off the lantern and land on Luan's body. Lincoln tries to swim to the surface but only hangs on to the dissolving canoe.

Meanwhile, Waldo tries to get up, but he and Luan create the closest face-to-face contact with each other. At awe, they glance on each other. However, realizing they are at such a hotseat situation, they fix up themselves.

"So…what a…lantern of events?" Waldo nervously jokes.

"Nahh, it's all light," Luan returns with a clever pun, prompting them to laugh once more. She then glances back on the sky lantern they just flew. "Hey look! Our lantern is flying. And so are the others." The two then sit back as they witness other sky lanterns being flown to the sky. They can only gaze in awe of this wonderful night scenery.

Meanwhile, Lincoln latches on the last piece of the dissolving canoe, catching that melancholic moment (for him) when Lucy suddenly shows up in a boat and brings out an oar to save her brother. "Lucy!" he squirms.

"Quiet. Need a hand?" Lucy offers assistance, bringing him out of the water and out of the lake. "Haven't Lori warned you already?"

"What is it to you?" Lincoln banters."Lori told you not to fool around them. But you made a fool of yourself by trying to ruin their date," the 8-year-old goth reiterates."Oh yeah? Then why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be under curfew?"

"Like I said, Lincoln, I need a break from the darkness. Now let me strike you deal, I'll not tell Lori about your foolishness, if you don't tell anyone about this. I don't want to make you look like a bigger fool for trying to ruin a friendship from your sister. You reaped what you sow."

At her condescending remark, Lincoln sighs about it, feeling guilty for patronizing Luan from building a friendship with Waldo. They then head home, not before obtaining a jacket for Lincoln to dry off from being soaked.

After an enchanted evening, Waldo takes Luan home, in time before 9. They then say their goodbyes.

"Hey, uhmmm Luan, it has been such a great time with you," Waldo utters.

"Yeah, I couldn't agree more," Luan follows along. She then hugs him, out of gratitude. Feeling that her hugs are the most delightful, Waldo accepts the hug.

He then proposes, "Hey Luan, I was just thinking. Since Ralph and I are thinking about it, since we're going, are you going to the winter book fair? You know there's an open mic session where you can do your comedic chops."

"Well, I'm still thinking about it," Luan replies."We can take you there if you want," Waldo says.

"Really?" she asks, making Waldo nod 'yes' to confirm. The Loud comedienne then hugs Waldo back. "Awww Waldo, this is awesome! Thanks! Thanks for being a good friend."

But hearing her say that haunts Waldo. He keeps on recalling "a good friend" as if they were ominous signs of his expectations not going by his way. Just by those last three words makes him realize that she placed him in a deep realm known as "the friendzone".

Luan notices him stunned and snaps him to reality, "Waldo? Waldo?"

"Oh uhhhhh…" he stutters.

"Are you okay?"

"Me? Just terrific…"

"Well, see you tomorrow, friend."

"Yeah. See ya!"

With that final greeting, Waldo walks home in dismay.

The next day, he consults his friend Ralph about this. "I don't get it Ralph. I did what you told me to do. I took her out. I complimented her jokes. I chuckled along with her. I came up with clever lines. I even have to sacrifice my Comic-Con savings for our hangouts."

Ralph, meanwhile, is playing _Just Dance 2016_ to the beats of "Lights" by Ellie Goulding while listening to Waldo. "Have you asked her out on a date?"

"Well, yeah, kinda-ish?" Waldo nervously replies.

"You didn't asked her out, huh?" Ralph inquires of his friend.

"What? No, I definitely asked her if she would go to the book fair with us," he defends in denial.

Ralph then pauses the game and confronts his friend about his pursuit. "Okay dude, this is a real deal breaker. If you are really serious about your pursuit to Luan, okay, group dates are fine. But you have to be real with her."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean truly ask her out officially. And no, hangouts doesn't count."

"How could it not count? I mean they develop the relationship, right?"

"Yeah, but what relationship are you wanting from Luan?"

At Ralph's striking question, Waldo can only stutter in hindsight. Little does he know that if he keeps the game playing with a hidden agenda, he may damage his friendship with Luan. With that, Ralph gives this advice, "Dude I get what you are feeling. But relationships don't work the way you are thinking. You can't play with a girl's feelings, just because you are friends, and you just hide your intentions. You need to take the first move."

"I don't know. What if she rejects me?"

"It's a risk. But I don't think it means friendship's over. I need you to man up bro."

Waldo can only sigh at the prospect of how hard it is to achieve the relationship he wanted. To motivate him, Ralph challenges him, "I tell you what. If you just try asking her out, whether it be a yes or no, my treat at Gus Games N' Grub."

Hearing that gives a boost for Waldo to stand up for himself, "Okay. You know what Ralph, you're right. I am going to ask Luan Loud for a date this Saturday!" And with that, Ralph applauds him for taking the courage. "Right after I do my history project."

"That's the spirit," Ralph replies.


	9. Chapter 9

Dinner time arrives, and the Loud family are feasting on a sumptuous meal of roasted chicken, steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes. Focusing on the grownups' table, the course of their dinner seems normal. That is until Luan tells something to her dear parents, "Mom, dad, may I ask something?"

"Sure sweetie, what is it?" Mrs. Loud replies.

"Well, there's this fair this Saturday. I was thinking…if I can go…and you would…" Luan says, until Mrs. Loud overlaps her words.

"That's fine, sweetie. As long as you would go home by 9," Mrs. Loud elaborates.

However, Luan has other intentions regarding the fair. Thus, she hesitantly addresses, "Uhmmm about that…because…there's this thing…that…uhmmm…I wish to go…beyond…" Her words catches the attention of Lincoln, who plans to bond with Luan on Saturday night. This petrifies him, making him drop his spoon.

"What is that, honey? Speak up," Mrs. Loud insists.

"Yeah, honey. Don't speak down. Hehe," Mr. Loud encourages with a lame pun, putting Mrs. Loud in dismay.

And in a casual outburst, Luan finally speaks up, "There's this open mic at the fair, and it's at 9 but I really, really wanna go!"

"Luan, you know we can permit you that," the Loud matriarch says.

"But please, mom, this is my chance to do my standup."

"Now, now, dear, you should let Luan try it. Besides, it would be un-fair for a girl on her age. Haha. Get it?" Lynn Sr. jokingly persuades. However, Rita is rather annoyed by it, making Lynn Sr. dismayed.

"My word still last stands. Curfew on 9," Mrs. Loud insists.

"Come on Luan. It's Marx brothers night on Saturday! We don't want to miss it!" Lincoln joins in the fray, but he fails to catch Luan's attention. She has to only listen to her mother's insistence.

"Luan, I know you are old enough to take care of yourself. But I can't let you go that late. You are still young. And we can't just permit you to do anything you want." Mrs. Loud's words upsets Luan that she leans further to her seat.

Feeling sorry for Luan being relegated that way, Mr. Loud defends on her behalf seriously, "You know what dear, you should let her. She may be young, but she can be responsible. You'll see."

"I don't know. I am just worried what will happen to her," Mrs. Loud raises her concerns, but sees Luan pleading in her worried silence.

"Don't worry about Luan," Lynn Sr. assures, "If something will happen to her, you can blame me on that. Trust me, sweetie. I assure you."

After moments of reflection to Lynn Sr.'s words of assertion, Mrs. Loud finally makes her decision, "Fine Luan, you can go."

Naturally, Luan rejoices for successfully securing permission from her parents.

"On one condition," Mrs. Loud points out, "I need somebody with you. A friend or so. Somebody at your age, not below your age." She then looks at the older Loud sisters to see if they can chaperone Luan. "How about you girls? Lori, Leni, Luna, can you take Luan this Saturday to the fair?"

However, the three throw in their respective excuses simultaneously (like Lori going for holiday shopping with Bobby, Leni gathering her friends for their own Christmas party, and Luna joining a gig that night) that Mrs. Loud can barely hear each of them.

"Okay, okay, I get it girls," Mrs. Loud says, "I am afraid you have to look for someone to take you to the fair. And make sure you can trust this person."

With that, Luan reassures, "Don't worry, mom. This will be fairly easy to do. Hehehe. Get it?" While all is well for both parties, Lincoln is dismayed that Luan will have to abandon their plans for their special Marx brothers marathon, in order to attend the fair. Though he could accept it as a supportive brother, the 11-year-old realizes from Luan's plans that his dear sister will soon have to leave him, implying a coming-of-age moment for his 14-year-old sister. Never has Lincoln had such a lonely dinner, since the first day he sat at the grownups table.

After that, Lincoln decides to visit Luan in her room but as he enters, he sees her sorting out her clothes and piling some on the floor while others on the bed.

"Hey Luan, what you doing? Why are your clothes on the floor?" Lincoln wonders.

"Oh, Lincoln. Can you help me with sorting those clothes on floor? Place them in that plastic bag, okay?" Luan asks for her brother's favor.

Reluctantly, he does so, slowly realizing upon disposing her clothes that they her old clothes from when she was below 13 years of age.

"Uhhmmm Luan, are you getting rid of your clothes?" Lincoln asks.

"Oh, not getting rid of them. Replacing them. There's a difference," Luan explains, "I will send those clothes to the thrift shop, so I can buy new ones and revamp my style."

"What for?" he continues to ask. All the while, Lincoln also notices her clown paraphernalia cleared from her table. "And where's your clown stuff?"

"Oh, I placed them in the cabinet," she confirms, "Need space for my newer material."

"Wait? You're leaving clowning?!"

"No, I'm not leaving clowning. Hehe. Why would I ever leave clowning? If I do, then I will surely let the kids clown. Hehe. Get it?"

"No, really Luan. Wha…?"

But joking aside, Luan thus explains the refurnishing on her stuff, "No, Lincoln. I will just do less birthdays for now. I am adjusting to a new world of humor. While I do pranks, birthday parties and online videos, which are mostly memes, I will officially do standup from now on."

"What?!" Lincoln reacts in a surprised manner.

"I know right. Just knew that this could be a great deal as I become a famous comedienne! I can just feel it! Isn't it amazing?"

"Yeah…amazing…" Lincoln reacts in a subtle perturbed manner.

"Anything wrong Linc?"

"Nothing. Nothing Luan. I think doing standup is a great idea!"

"Glad I can get your support, bro. You know, all the while, you will soon realize how fast time was. You will soon notice that you once laughed at Blarney the Dinosaur having shepherd's pie get smudged on his shirt. And now you are laughing at humor from a Judd Apatow movie."

"Who's that?"

"Oh, you'll know him when you're my age."

"Oh…"

"Don't worry Lincoln. You'll get the hang of it. For me, there's a lot of stuff to learn, like how to tolerate a Donald Trump joke while being original. You'll see more of that in the Internet," Luan says, then pats his shoulder. She then notices Lincoln's frowning. "Hey, why the lonely face, little bro? You know what they say, a journey of a thousand smiles begins with a single quip. How about this: what car drives the entire house crazy? A Lincoln. Hehehe." Just by that joke, Lincoln laughs along with his prankster of a sister.

"Okay you got me. That joke I can tell to Ronnie Anne," Lincoln says, "But Luan, I gotta say I…" As he is about to share if they can continue their intended comedy marathon, he gets interrupted by a ring from Luan's phone.

"Hello?" Luan answers her phone, "Waldo…Hey, how's it going?...Okay, I will meet you there in a jiffy."

"Waldo?" Lincoln wonders.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna fetch him from the bookstore. Can you take my old stuff to the attic, please? Need to rush," Luan hurriedly asks her brother a favor.

"But Luan, what to…" Lincoln tries to get her attention, but she is all occupied on rushing.

"Sorry Linc. Just sort my stuff till I'm back. Bye!" With that, Luan rushes out of the house to meet up with Waldo, leaving a distraught Lincoln in her room. The thought of Luan reaching her adolescent years now disturbs him in the subtlest of feelings.

In a stubborn manner, Lincoln takes Luan's old clothes and other unused belongs to the attic. He places them in a dusty corner, filled with cobwebs. He soon stops by the last bag, which contains Luan's first clown outfit when she was 6, much to Lincoln's shock, as he remembers laughing at it when Luan first wore it. Though he intentionally laughs at it, Luan took it as a compliment. And they started bonding deeply at that time as sibling and toddlers would do.

From that, he realizes that his sister is disposing of her old stuff to move to a new stage in her life, causing him to breakdown and kick the bags in the process. He sheds tears as he bursts out his frustrations at this circumstance. And sooner, he rests helplessly while trying to hold his sobs.

Abruptly, a voice utters, "You shouldn't be that concerned to her." Lincoln checks out where the voice came from, to learn it came from Lucy, who appeared right in front of him, shocking him.

"Will you stop doing that?!" Lincoln berates.

"You supposed to say 'you're welcome' 'cause I came to your aid in your venting," Lucy readily says.

"What do you know about my venting?" the Loud brother argues.

"I know that you are too overprotective about us. But it's just hiding the fact that you are fearful of letting go of the past and embracing the future. But you have to let Luan go. Give her a chance to be responsible in her life. And maybe, she would feel responsible about you."

"So what do I supposed to do?"

"Give Waldo a chance." However, Lucy's suggestion bears a grudge on Lincoln, being stubborn than ever. With that, Lucy tries to get Lincoln to reflect upon it. "It's a silly decision, sure. And I know you are protective about us. That's a given. But Luan's growing up now. You have to realize that. Give her this chance. And it's not you're losing us, or her for this matter. Give her a chance."

As much as Lucy's words paint painful realities that the sole Loud brother refuses to accept, Lincoln tries to ingest them evocatively. Growing up sucks, and it is a general opinion. But is a reality that everyone goes through. That is the general thought that circles on Lincoln's mind, as he crouches on the wooden floor, hugging Luan's clown outfit, as Lucy tries to talk his way out of the situation.

Meanwhile, Luan arrives back home with Waldo and takes him to her room.

Amazed, Waldo says, "So this is where the humor is born?"

"Well not grown, but raised in a born," Luan humorously implies, leading them to a laugh galore.

"Though yeah, kinda like a barn with all the stuff clutter," Waldo comments.

"Oh, sorry. Need the room reorganized 'cause there'll be new plans, my friend," Luan says.

"And what plans are those?"

"Gonna do a new routine. Standup routine that is."

"Wow. Luan, I…couldn't agree more. I am really 100% in support for that one. Standup comedienne Luan Loud. That's a good ring to it."

"Yeah. Unless they gave me stool. Then they would call me a 'sitdown' comedienne." With that kind of awful pun, they still laugh at it regardless.

"At least it's not a sit-up comedienne," Waldo jokes.

"That must be like if a gym teacher tries to do standup. He would be robotic. You know, I would pay money to see if a gym teacher can do comedy, then I would call him 'Gym and the Holograms'," Luan says humorously.

"Or he can do Gym Carrey gags."

"Or do over-the-top voices. Then he would Gym Parsons."

"Now, he would be so OC. He would let anyone 'standup' from his couch."

"At least we won't be coach potatoes."

After that wonderful exchange of puns that they cannot laughing at, Luan tells Waldo, "Well, anyway, need to the whole enchilada."

"I can help you with that," Waldo offers his help.

"Really?" Luan replies, "Well, that's very thoughtful of you Waldo. Now, Lincoln disposed some of my old-timey stuff. So, I need my books sorted to the cabinet shelf and those bags be brought to the thrift shop."

"Man, that's a lot of stuff."

"Yeah, got the whole room stuffed, so I need to stuff hoarding from now on. Hehehe. Get it?"

"Hehehe, no worries. I will take it right here," Waldo assures, leading Luan to fist his shoulder.

"Thanks Waldo! I will just get a cart," Luan implies, "I will be back as soon as possible."

"No worries, Luan," the 15-year-old guarantees. "Yes! My moment has arrived! Now, I just need courage."

And with that, Waldo sorts her stuff to their assigned designation, while he utters, "Luan, can I take you out?", with hesitation. As he is about to place her books in the cabinet shelf, Waldo opens the door to reveal something that he never thought he would come across. And there, his view of Luan will come to a change, forever.

 _Get ready for the last chapter…_


	10. Chapter 9 (Half)

The revelation to Luan surely bewilders Waldo at this point. And what he actually discovers are Luan's tapes of Lincoln, to which she dubs them as "comedy Fort Knox". Waldo backs away to the bed from this revelation, but a boxing glove knocks him towards Luan's drawer. There, a wide blanket of paper flies to his face, revealing that it is actually a blueprint of the Loud house to be laden with pranks for next April Fools' Day. Waldo gets more shocked at every revelation he gets from Luan.

Finally, he trips to a chest where Mr. Coconuts is placed. Though he gets shocked mildly, the Asian teenager gets more horrified when he sees another ventriloquist in the case, which somehow bears resemblance to a loved one of his life, making him remind of his past. The teenager can now see horror before his eyes. His expectations are changed with this truth behind Luan Loud. Who once was an angel to his dull life is now an extremist.

Hearing footsteps approaching Luan's room, Waldo quickly rearranges Luan's stuff to the way they were before. After that, he crouches on Luan's bed in sheer hesitation, trying to repress the unwanted revelations he had received from the "love of his life".

The door opens, signaling someone entering the room. Unexpectedly, Waldo sees it was Lincoln who entered. "Lincoln, uhmmm what's up?" he asks timidly.

"Just stopping by," Lincoln answers sullenly, "What are you doing?"

"Uhmmmm just helping along in the extreme renovation: Luan edition. Hehehe," Waldo replies, trying to crack a joke as a distraction.

"Right," the Loud brother remarks in a rather serious tone. Feeling relaxed (though he has inner begrudges), he finally resolves to let Waldo pursue Luan. "Waldo, let me ask. And please be honest. Do you really want to be in a relationship with my sister?"

"Why you so ask? I mean we are friends, sure…" Waldo answers.

"Do you really want to be in a relationship with my sister?" Lincoln vehemently asks once more.

Waldo then realizes that Lincoln is serious about discussing if he intends to pursue Luan. With that, he answers stutteringly, "Yeah…I…I don't know…but I know…yeah…"

Getting his confirmation, Lincoln straightly replies, "Okay, now, she's yours."

"What?"

"You heard me. She's yours to pursue. She's all yours. Take her to the winter book fair. She wants it. Just make sure she brings a jacket."

"My…Lincoln…" Waldo is left speechless on Lincoln's confirmation.

"Go on. Take your best shot."

With that, Waldo gulps in confidence to ask her out. And to place more whim in this saga, Luan gets back to her room and sees the two conversing.

"Hey guys! What you doing? Seems you two are very serious," Luan wonders.

"Luan, are you going to the winter fair?" Waldo boldly asks.

"Uhmm yeah, but mom and dad won't let me unless I find someone older who I can take with."

"I can take you out."

"Uhmmm Waldo, you shouldn't have…but really?"

"Yes Luan! I wish to take you there for your heart's pleasure…"

Oblivious but suspicious of Waldo's choice of words, Luan confirms, "Well, actually, I'll perform my standup routine there."

Then Waldo segues in such dramatic flair, "Or audience's pleasure in that case. I can take you."

"Really Waldo? You do mean it?"

"You bet I do!"

With that, Luan hugs Waldo as a "thank you". Feeling that he has overcame his upsetting expectations, Waldo braces the moment, feeling relieved that he has full-proof chance on making Luan his girlfriend. But on the other hand, Lincoln, having accepted Luan's state of being, silently gets upset at this prospect. He can only struggle to adjust to this reality as he leaves the room quietly.

In the end, all three parties have pave their own paths, leading to a night of cold revelations and warm moments.

And finally, to the date itself….


	11. Chapter 10

On a very special night, Waldo is dressed formally, from his grey vest with diamond patterns to the sky blue suit and tie beneath, for his "date" with Luan. He stops by the porch of the Loud house, accompanied by Ralph, who is ensuring that his friend will get over his nerves to gain the confidence that he is dating the girl he wishes to pursue.

"Alright, this is it. This is the night where everything changes," Waldo utters confidently but reverts back to being concerned, "Do I look good, bro?"

"You look fine," Ralph replies, "Just adjust the tie." With that, Ralph adjusts Waldo's tie for him."I don't know about this. What if I bust this opportunity, like last time?" the Asian teenager worriedly implies.

Thankfully, his best friend assures to him, "Waldo, my friend, that's the past. It no longer defines you. This is a fresh start. I know you can do it. You just need to loosen up yourself."

"Okay you're right," Waldo says as he stretches his arms to boost his confidence. "I can do this!"

"Well, go for it. My work is done here." With that, Ralph leaves Waldo by the porch.

"Wait Ralph, where are you going? I thought you're going to the fair too?"

"Originally. But I have to watch over my baby brother and baby sister tonight." Ralph's sudden commitment change slightly saddens Waldo. For that, Ralph gives him a brotherly handshake and hug to Waldo.

"Thanks man," Waldo utters.

"I am always here, Waldo bro," Ralph guarantees. "Good luck tonight. Oh, and you forgot." Ralph then hands Waldo a daisy as a date gift. "Thanks. Needing this."

As Ralph leads, Waldo takes deep breaths before he rings the doorbell. When he does, a trap door opens where he stands, making Waldo slip to a low hole with his butt stuck. As he tries to get out of it, Mr. Loud answers the door.

"Hello? Anyone? Nasty intruders," he suspects. He then hears Waldo's pleads and notices him stuck in a hole. "Oh. You must be Luan's friend?"

"Yeah. Yes sir," Waldo replies, "And sir, if you don't, can I please get your assistance to help me out of this?"

"Oh sure chap," Mr. Loud says as he pulls Waldo out of the hole. "So, just in time for the night. Just a helpful advice from Luan's old man, if there is anything you shouldn't do is to not make Luan laugh. She needs to be happy every minute. If you give her a hint of sadness, you're going to have to go through me."

Waldo gulps in fear at the conditions from Mr. Loud. Mrs. Loud then enters the scene to notice a decently prepared Waldo.

"Is this the friend Luan is talking about?" Mrs. Loud asks.

"Certainly is, honey," Mr. Loud answers, "We have her to let him arrive at 6, remember?"

"I am Waldo, sir, ma'am. Indeed I am…" Waldo awkwardly confirms.

"Well, honey, why don't you call Luan that her friend is here?" Mrs. Loud persuades her husband, to which he responds by doing so. "Okay, son. I know you two can be responsible. So, I want her back by 10. Just let her do her stand-up and that's it. No snooping around after that. Okay?"

"Got it, Mrs. L," the Asian teenager , Lynn Sr. pops right back in. "Just wait for a brief moment, my boy. She'll be coming down soon."

"Well…okay…" Waldo replies. Suddenly, the porch ceiling opens a skylight above him, making why would something like that be built in the first place. Just as that non-sequitur contraption shows up, Luan jumps from the window and lands on top of Waldo.

"Now I really came down. Hehehe," she utters excitedly before she notices landing on Waldo. "Oh sorry Waldo." The jokester then tries to brush off the debris from Waldo's clothes and his hair. "There, good as new."

"Thanks…"

"Luan, next time, use the stairs. And enough out-of-place tricks like that to our visitors," Mrs. Loud warns.

"Aww, come on mom," Luan responds, "That's just part of the fun."

"Fine. Just make sure you follow what we talked about."

"Don't worry mom. We're gonna have a lot of fun tonight."

"Oh, Luan. For you," Waldo says as he gives Luan the daisy, making Luan delighted.

"Awww how do you know?" the jokester squirms, then brings out a hat to pull out Gary, her assistant rabbit. "Gary, a snack for you." She then feeds the daisy to her pet bunny, making Waldo get stunned. "Come on, we got no time to lose!" she insists as she drags Waldo away from the porch, to the streets till they reach the bus stop. It is clear that Waldo is mildly ready for an overeager Luan.

Her parents smile and ponder of Luan's state of being, but Lincoln, who gets to see the both of them from the window swiftly heading out, is saddened by this. "Hey, anything wrong boy?" Lynn Sr. asks Lincoln, noticing his sad expression. "Okay, if you need to share, I'm always here." Without giving him an answer, Lincoln sulkily walks to the couch and sighs in consternation.

Suddenly, Lucy appears right beside him and utters to her brother, "You did the right thing. The trauma is given, but it will not stay inside of you forever."

Lincoln can only sigh in response. "Movie night with me?" he gloomily asks.

"As long as it is not about corny romance, I'm fine," Lucy responds, making Lincoln turn on the TV for their own movie matinee night.

Meanwhile, back to the "couple", Waldo and Luan get a glance of the winter-themed book fair by the park. With snow falling on this season, the fair is secured by a white-sheet canopy, giving the illusion of a big-top circus. Every stall sells books in any variety (from young adult novels to mangas) and also novelty items. Every visitor ranges from little kids to middle-aged hipsters. And on the center of the fair is a stage where a live jazz band currently performs.

Before Luan performs, the duo stops by at an outdoor café, where Luan checks out the novelty items she bought while Waldo nervously watches her.

"Gosh, glad there are neat items we find here in the fair," Luan utters."Yeah. ," Waldo timidly reacts.

"Hey Waldo, check this out. A cup with the handle ," she says, showing him a cup with a factory defect.

"Wow. It had one job and, failed at it," he reacts.

"Yeah, I guess it can't handle the cup-acity. Hehehe. Get it?"

"Hehehe. Yeah. cup-able."

Luan brings out more items from her shopping bag. "Oohh, there's even this. A wall clock with the numbers jumbled."

"Huhh…that must have come from Wonderland."

"I know right. Kinda this from prank stall at the front. And look they even gave me a giveaway loot bag."

"Ooooohh nice. Why don't we take a loot? Hehehe."

"Or perhaps go to its loot cause. Hehehe. Get it?"

"Okay, what do we have?"

"Let's see. We have this." Luan then throws a fake finger, which scares Waldo. "Hehehe. Glad I put a finger on it."

"Yeah…." Waldo chatters from fright.

"Bubble gum?"

"Ohh. Thanks." Waldo tries to grab a piece, until a fake cockroach clasps on his finger, frightening him in screams.

"Chill dude. The roach almost got chew. Hehehe. So better chill it out. Get it?"

Waldo tries to calmly remove the prank cockroach out of his finger, rubbing off the fact that the girl he is dating is actually an over-the-top pranking machine. "Yeah…uhhh…got it."

"Aww…sorry about that. Here, Danish cookies?"

"Ooohh, I love Danish cookies." Waldo then excitedly opens the tin container of Danish cookies to reveal realistic-looking cooties that really shocked Waldo like a girl in a horror movie.

"Hahaha. Get it? Danish cooties?" Luan jokes hysterically, becoming the girl Waldo fears. "Don't worry. They don't bug that munch. Hehehe."

Waldo heeds from the scares that his date brought to him. He does not wish to address that Luan's pranks really scared him to avoid hurting her feelings. So, he opts to go along. "That…you got me."

"Really?" Luan replies, "Wow, I'm sure I would p-rank this as one effective scheme I can pull off in just a minute. That's just the tip of the iceberg for next April Fools."

"Wait. You do April Fools pranks?"

"Yeah. It's an annual tradition from all-time pranking genius. This guy right here. All pranks in the Loud house and no one is spared."

"Uhmmm can you rephrase that?"

"Uhhh what? You mean no one is spared…" As Waldo hears Luan say that, he imagines her as a demonic being, who is bent on unleashing her schemes to everyone. Just to further describe how Waldo sees Luan now.

"Waldo? Waldo?" Luan calls him from zoning out. Waldo gets shocked at Luan's calls. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Fine," Waldo somberly replies.

After that, a beatnik host steps onstage to announce, "Good evening guys. I just want to call performers to proceed backstage for a last minute huddle before we go to the program. Thank you."

"Well, that's you," Waldo utters, "Good luck."

"I don't need luck," Luan says, bringing out her magician's hat and pulling Gary out, "I got my rabbit's foot. Hehehe. Get it?" The two then laugh at this, with Waldo hesitantly laughing along. "Well, keep calm and carrot on. Hehehe. Oh can you watch for my stuff? Pranks. Hehe." The 14-year-old then proceeds with the other performers for the fair.

Eventually, Waldo gets up from the café seat and occupies a seat in the back row. Sooner, people start occupying the seats, and the show starts. The performers before Luan compose of acoustic guitar performers, spoken word artists and one standup routine from a Louie C.K., all of which Waldo find subpar.

It becomes time for Luan to perform her standup. Her act includes Gary in a cage, doing his usual bunny business.

Luan starts off her stint with an icebreaker. "Good evening folks. Before we start everything, tonight I want to introduce you to my boyfriend." When Luan says that, Waldo gets stunned, thinking that Luan might confess her liking to him. "I want you to meet Gary. He's a fine specimen of his own." But with that, he gets bummed.

"I know what you are thinking. Me having a bunny for a boyfriend? I know. I mean why would he carrot all. Hehehe. That's thing. You need some bunny to love. That's all he hops. Hehe." This prompts the audience to laugh. "But there's more to Gary than looking cute everyday. He's busy searching for gold. And all he got was 24 carrot. Hehehe. But it's not end there. This bunny gets all the gold and ladies more than those guys from the movie 'The Fast and the Furriest' that he calls himself a millionhare. I don't know how he gets to multiply a lot. Maybe he keeps hopping from one bunny to another. I might as well call him 'Bunny Mars'."

Luan's rabbit icebreaker catches the attention of the audience, who are all out laughing at the rabbit puns and the hidden green jokes there. Seeing this as a sense of relief, Waldo laughs along. Luan's entire routine consists of talking about her siblings and awkward moments. It glimmers hope for Waldo to think that Luan is indeed the perfect girl for all him. That is until this routine.

"It's almost a new year. And you know what that means? No, well yeah, New Year's expectations are a given. But there's something else. New Years babies. You know it's a delight to see newborns being born in the first day of the year. Well, yeah, all babies are cute. Including Lily. If you get to see her in my videos, just glance on how goo goo-reatly cute she is. Hehehe. And you know, it's fun to call your baby brother or sister names. I used to call Lily 'Poo Poo Mo'. I used to call Lincoln 'Lin-Lin' when he was a baby. And I heard other people call their babies 'Sweetie', 'Tweety Pie', 'Cutie Pie' and there was even 'Pookie'."

Hearing the word "Pookie" triggers Waldo to get flashes of memories from his past: students laughing at him, a girl cheering him up, an embarrassing moment and a time where he gets a black eye. These repressed memories haunt him once more that he walks out with on hesitation. Luan onstage notices Waldo walking out, making her grow concerned for him. He departs from the fair on a frigid weather and sits at a cold park bench. There, he tries to suppress the painful memories he had, to no avail. He embraces Luan's bag, but he unnoticeably sets off one of her prank items, a pop-in-a-can, to his face, making him worried more and more.

Eventually, Luan finds him. "Waldo, you walked out of the fair. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just nothing. Why don't you go back to the fair?" Waldo utters while shivering.

"I just finished my gig," she replies, then wraps her yellow jacket on Waldo, "Hey, anything wrong?"

"Nothing. This just not what I expected."

"What were you expecting?"

When Luan asks that, Waldo gets stunned, realizing that he has almost revealed his feelings to her. Out of denial, he says, "Uhmmm just ahhhhhh I don't know…"

"Is that why you walked out?" Luan asks out.

"No, there's…something else."

"What?"

With no other options to go for, Waldo finally blurts out his story, "You remember when you said 'Pookie' in your standup? That was my nickname back in Hawaii. It was obviously named after the teddy bear that Garfield had. I had one when I was 3 that looks just like Pookie, so I named him Pookie too. He was the best friend I ever had when I was little. I even brought him in my first day of school and introduced him to the class. But I was shunned out. 'Where's Waldo? Where's Waldo?' My classmates kept making fun of my name that I became a butt of their jokes. Except for one.

Her name is Camille. She noticed my teddy bear that she called me 'Pookie' from that day to relive me. We became partners in crime in making up puns, inventing random stuff and setting up pranks. I knew that I just had the friend I need. I mean really. We are both Filipino-American. We love jokes. And we sing along Disney movies. Our times were great.

That is until the end of elementary. One day, when we were about to celebrate our ten years of friendship, we planned to set up a prank for my rival, the bully Reggie. As I waited, I saw them together. She was hugging him. And he accepted it. I don't know why but it troubled me. Eventually, I got caught on our prank. Days passed, and though we contacted each other, we weren't the friends we ought to be. So, in the last day of school, I did the inevitable: I confessed my feelings to Camille, on public. I was embarrassed in front of everyone that even though I tried to joke, I get laughed. And she never talked or showed to me that day, and ever since. She and Reggie went along with their friendship, which became a relationship. Those times scarred me because the only kid who cares about me abandoned me for good. And then, my parents brought me here to the mainland for a fresh start. We struggled in our business. But we're still fine. But not me. Sorry about that."

"No, no. It's okay," Luan utters, "I should be sorry."

Waldo sighs, then confesses, "You know, you remind me of her. I mean a lot. That's why I love your jokes, and your laugh, and your smile."

As Waldo gets more frank about his feelings, Luan feels nothing but slight embarrassment that causes her to blush. "Okay, I get it. I just don't understand why you would go to these lengths to be with me, if I remind you of her and your past."

With that question, Waldo realizes he is cornered. He stutters, "Uhmmmm…uhhhhh…ahhh…" And finally, he pours out his feelings, "Okay you got me. Okay? I like you. I felt something the first time I saw you onstage. I love to be with you. I love you Luan Loud!"

And then, the line has been crossed. With Waldo confessing his feelings for the object of his affection, how does Luan react?

 _Give me your thoughts on how Luan reacts to this before the real finale before New Year's eve._


	12. Last Chapter (Or So)

Luan is stunned at Waldo's confession. Never has she realized that her relationship with a fellow fanatic of fun puns would actually have feelings for her. Out of all the feelings she felt, she never feels this awkwardness out of someone who likes her. She can only let time pass as the silent treatment go between the two of them. And while she is passé with puppy love, she does not know how to respond to this.

After confessing his feelings, Waldo just sits at the right side edge of the bench, waiting for a response from Luan. Out of the embarrassing moments he had experienced, this one is no exception for him to being among the most embarrassing. He tries to brush off his awkwardness, to no absolute avail. He just clings to the yellow jacket that Luan gave him, regretting for confessing his feelings.

The rest of the time before midnight goes on like this – an awkward moment they do not know how to respond to.

Minutes go by, and they finally spout a word simultaneously.

"I want ahhh…you ahhh…" Waldo utters.

"I kinda ahhh…you ahh…" Luan speaks up, alongside.

"You go first."

"No, you."

"I insist. Go…"

"Well…I…the night's been long. So…"

"Yeah…"

"I think it's best if we talk about this next time. I have to go home."

"Yeah…"

"Thanks for being…there tonight."

"Yeah…you too."

And with that, Luan leaves Waldo by the park bench, forlorn on what she must respond out of this. The moment is awkward enough that it really merits for them to call the night off. As she leaves, Waldo languishes on blowing the opportunity to engage in a true relationship with the apple to his eye. He can only wonder if Luan truly reciprocated his feelings. Eventually, snow falls as Waldo shivers out in the cold.

Meanwhile, back in the Loud house, Lincoln and Lucy are watching _The Fault in Our Stars_ as part of their movie marathon. Previously, they watched _Jerry Maguire_ , Lynn's favorite. Even though Lucy insisted not to preview romance movies, she still gives Lincoln a pass. Ironically, Lincoln is adamant to what he is watching, while Lucy is emotional from watching the scene where Hazel practices her eulogy for Augustus.

"I can't…believe this is happening," Lucy reacts sobbingly, "Why would death take him so young?! Curses, death!"

Lincoln is still irresponsive out of this, clearly sulking about Luan's prospect of growing up.

Lucy eventually chills down. "Okay, I'm good. But I need to think this over. Going to my room now." She then leaves Lincoln in the living room. Lincoln then rests his head on the left side arm rest, just to get comfort out of this situation.

9:45 pm strikes in Royal Woods, and Luan finally arrives home, 15 minutes early from her curfew, in a distraught mood. She places Gary's cage down and feeds him with baby carrots.

"You arrived early," Lincoln says to his sister.

"I know," Luan responds somberly as she goes to the couch. Lincoln gives her a space to sit.

Noticing his sister's rare sad expression, Lincoln asks, "Anything wrong? How did it went?"

Then, Luan relays her whole night, "Great. I mean the crowd was good. They're responsive. I even told them about the time that you tried to catch Lana from chasing the mailman."

"And?"

"Well, it went good. What else can I tell?"

"Well…what about Waldo?"

"Uhmmmm…I rather not talk about it."

"Why not? Something happened between you two?"

"No, no, nothing! I mean…I appreciated for him being a good friend but…"

"Did he…confess…?"

"Yeah. I don't know. I might have hurt his feelings after saying nothing."

Instead of letting her sulk her way to ease down her emotions, Lincoln encourages her, "You know Luan, I do not need to know much about what gone into you and Waldo. But it's your choice. No matter what you do, it's all on you. I'm just here to ensure he doesn't break your feelings. And no matter what, you'll always be my sister."

"Thanks Lincoln." They then embrace in solace, contemplating the fact that they have each other's backs. After that, they finally rest to movie watching.

"Why are you watching _Fault in Our Stars_?" Luan wonders.

"Well, I just thought that since you won't be here for Marx brothers night, Lucy and I just thought to watch this," Lincoln answers.

"Then what are you waiting for? Let's watch _Duck Soup_!"

With that, Lincoln gets excited from Luan's insistence. The rest of the night for the two go on with laughing at the Marx brothers' signature gags, including the famous mirror scene, where they laugh out hard.

Ultimately, four knocks come on the door. Luan answers it, revealing it to be Waldo.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Waldo utters, "I just came to bring you this and your other stuff." He then gives back her yellow jacket and her loot bag. "You kinda forgot them in the park." Luan is still irresponsive, holding her stuff. "Right. I should be going."

"Wait! Waldo!" she calls him back, "I know this night has been weird. At least it's not a nightmare. Hehe. But really, thank you. But I'm sorry too. I know I have been…off. But I do not how to say this. But…"

"But what?"

"Okay, I might say that I like you too but…"

Out of that revelation and with a spark of confidence, Waldo hurriedly approaches Luan and kisses her by the lips. Even with a hint of awkwardness, the two remain kissing.

Lincoln can only witness this in satisfaction that her sister is happy. He then shares this to the readers "You know, it pains to say we're all growing up. But what is important is that we know we have each other's backs. I love Luan, but it's time for her to make her own choices."

As they break out their kiss, Luan utters, "Never expected that."

"Yeah sorry if it kinda…" Waldo responds, but gets interrupted by Luan returning another kiss to him.

"Well, feel the kiss to happiness? Hehehe. Get it?"

Waldo chuckles at Luan's intended pun, as he gushes in extreme euphoria from Luan's kisses.

"Hehehe. Well, wanna come in? We're watching _Duck Soup_."

"Yeah, I will be there…in a sec."

"Soothe yourself. I will just leave the door open. I don't have the kiss to the house. Hehehe. Get it?"

"Hehehe. I love it when you joke. I hope I can play it all over again in a joke box. Hehe."

"Hehehe. Well, and by the way, we can still be friends right?"

"Of course. Why not?"

"Just wait until prom for a yes. See you inside."

Hearing her say that gives overall confidence for Waldo that he has assured 100% chance for Luan. With that, he rejoices in the falling snow with "You Make My Dreams Come True" by Hall & Oates playing on his head. He is truly at the prime of his adolescent life. After that, he joins Luan and Lincoln in their movie matinee. And eventually, he sleeps on the couch.

Truly, it has been some enchanted evening for Lincoln, for Luan and especially for Waldo.

 _And that ends their story. (Not unless you want to see more exploits from them.)_


	13. Two April Fools - Part 1

Two days after Sunday, Lincoln happily returns to school with a sleek of optimism. This is the fact that not only because he had a glorious weekend, but for the fact that the glorious weekend – where the annual April Fools' Day celebrations take place – is prank-free in the Loud House.

"As you can see from the already mentioned text above this dialogue, just had a reliving weekend.," Lincoln expounds to the readers, "Oh, and I'm talking about the recent April Fools' Day weekend. And we're talking about Luan's special day of torture. But surprisingly, no sign of any pranks. Inside the house. Outside of the house. None. So I guess Luan learned her lesson when we botched her plan on thwarting on us using doubles. So everything's fine."

The way he says it, you know something else would contradict that. That happens as Lincoln walks across the hall, somebody drags him to the left hall.

"There you are! Glad I found ya, man!" that somebody expresses his relief with a voice of panic in his tone.

Lincoln immediately recognizes the man. "Wait…Waldo?" As he gazes upon him, the boy notices his sweat sticking on his forehead and the pulse coming from his panting. "What's up, man? What's wrong?"

"Is your sister around? Your sister's not around, right?" he asks hastily.

"Luan?"

"Yes, Nual! Have you seen her?"

"No. She's in middle school. This is grade school. Remember?"

"Oh thank goodness!" Waldo leans on the wall in relief, letting his body slide to the floor.

"What's wrong?" Lincoln asks.

"Oh, everything is wrong. I almost never can take this antics of supremacy for two years in a row!" Waldo enunciates in an over-the-top fashion.

This confirms Lincoln's suspicion. "Did Luan pranked you again?"

"Mhmmm…" he answers. "But not just any prank. Something worse!" A frantic Waldo narrates what happened on the particular Sunday.

* * *

Waldo's POV

 _After last year's prank, Luan swore to never set pranks on me on April Fools' Day. So, since, coincidentally enough, it was my birthday on April Fools' Day, she teased on treating me to somewhere "special". Since I shared most of my interests to her, she almost knew my weak spots and my likes._

 _One time, she asked me to watch over Gary. Well, I willingly agreed._

 _The day before, she sent me a letter. But it was more of a riddle. I opened the roll of paper from that wooden box. It says: "I know you like me when I am funny / So let me show you a fluffy bunny / Though I'm not as good as the guy with top / Better carrot all now and better hop"._

 _She knew that I like rabbits, thanks to how I treated Gary. Well, both of us have a love-hate relationship. But anyway, it got well. We even have a shared liking for a particular prank. And she thought of it as cute. I was touched as a friend to hear a friend said I did something cute. So, I knew the riddle she gave has something to do with Gary. Or a herd of rabbits. Either way, it is some-bunny._

(Lincoln throws an ahem after Waldo's pun.)

 _But anyway, she actually hinted that Gary needed feeding on Sunday. And you and the family got out for the Easter holiday. So, I took the job._

 _The day came. It was the afternoon that I got to the Loud House. I showed up with a bouquet of carrots. No kidding. It was meant for Gary. But it was really for Luan._

 _The front door was locked. So, Luan left a note that says to use the hatch on the backyard. Your parents knew anyway that I will keep watch. So they so allowed to enter the Loud House via the hatch._

 _With no trouble, I placed the access code to an automated lock on the hatch that leads to the basement. And boom. But there, I saw somebody. Somebody I never knew before. Somebody I never thought would enter on a regular Sunday. It's…_

* * *

Normal POV

But before Waldo could finish, the bell rings.

"There's my call. Have to go to class," Lincoln says.

But Waldo stops him, "Wait Lincoln, how about me?"

"You do have class too, right?"

"It's in the afternoon."

"Well, keep yourself busy or something. Just keep out from the hall monitors around here." Lincoln then walks to his classroom, leaving Waldo quite stilted.

The prepubescent boy strides inch by inch, eventually stumbling on a classroom filled with pet animals, presumably to be presented for show-and-tell. Among the animals is a fluffy bunny with an immediate resemblance to Gary.

Upon seeing the cuddly animal, Waldo screams at the sight, still traumatized by Luan's recent prank. He then faints to the floor.

* * *

Waldo's POV

 _There's another guy on that hatch. He waved to me. "Oh hello there! I was really hoping that somebody would open the enclosure. So that's a plan hatched. Hahaha. Get it?"_

" _Excuse me. Who are you?" I asked to that dude who looks like Jon Arbuckle's younger brother. His youthful physique makes me guess that it may be one of Luan's friends. Not to mention the sudden pun throwing, which is also my thing, in certain occasions._

" _Oh, I'm Benny!" he replies, "And you?"_

" _Waldo here."_

" _Waldo? You mean 'Where's Waldo?' Waldo, like rather finding you in a crowd, you find yourself in Luan's domain." He snickers. But his word usage really made me raise an eyebrow._

" _Domain? What domain?"_

" _Come down here, dude!"_

 _Into the basement, I go._

 _Benny lent me a handshake. "Nice to meet you, man!"_

" _How did you get down here?"_

" _Oh, Luan told me to watch over Gary today. So she gave me access codes to the hatch's lock and had me pass down here…"_

 _Before I could let him finish, I intruded when I had the similar favor as Benny's. "Wait, Luan let you watch Gary?! She asked me to watch over him. And I said 'Yes! Sure!'"_

" _Hmmm odd…why would she do that?"_

" _Yeah, well, we better get out of here." I then used a pile of stacked boxes to climb out of the hatch._

 _But Benny warned me. "Uhm…Waldo, I do to have to warn you that the hatch closes…"_

 _I reached out my hand to the open air. But the hatch closed automatically. And I fell down to the floor._

"… _automatically," Benny finished._

" _What? What is Luan trying to do? Is this one of her elaborate pranks?"_

" _Wait, elaborate?" Benny is quite dumbfounded._

 _Immediately, the lights blinked in the basement. It was almost like a horror movie for a minute. That is until the lights open and we saw two carrots on a table top. It was weird for us to see such a thing._

 _Nevertheless, that doesn't stop Benny from inspecting it. "What's this carrot doing here?"_

" _Maybe it's for Gary?" I assumed._

 _Benny noticed a note below the carrots. "Hey, another riddle."_

" _Hey, I received one before."_

" _Me too."_

" _Wait, did Luan send us the same riddle?"_

" _How can you say that?"_

 _I just ignored that and read the riddle, "Kids on this day will hunt for the unhatched / The same goes for you to spot the unmatched / Find him before it's heard for him to go / Now you're just some bunny that I used to know"._

" _Luan keeps using that pun to me," Benny shared. "And I'd go, 'Well you need some bunny to love'." He snickered. "We kept thinking of bunny puns…that we never let go of the moment, but g-rabbit." He laughed more. I got his puns. He almost had the same ratio of puns as Luan._

 _But the moment got cut off, thankfully, when we heard a clang of metal. We look around, and we only saw a rabbit, an innocent, fluffy rabbit._

 _Of course, we go "Aww" at the looks of it, especially as it rubs its face with its furry paws. We didn't mind what would a rabbit do in the basement of the Loud house._

" _That bunny looks just like Gary," Benny noted. "And that one too." He suddenly spotted another rabbit that showed up. "And that one."_

 _Those bunnies almost showed up like mushrooms. But when I looked around the basement, I saw others are emerging from the shadows and coming near us. Most notable of all, they all looked like Gary._

" _What is Luan up to?" I wondered._

 _We sensed a rumble rocking the cellar. And from a cluster of rabbits, out of the vents and other entrances, they become a swarm of rabbits. The Gary lookalikes try to target our carrots, but I and Benny try to fend them off. It's almost like fighting zombies like Brad Pitt or Simon Pegg, only we have to push them aside._

" _Where did Luan get all of these bunnies?" Benny queried._

" _I don't know. Probably she wanted us to find Gary from these critters!" I deduced._

" _We gotta get out of here!" Benny scanned around the room and spotted the stairway out of the basement. "Over there! Let's move!"_

 _But as we fought towards the light, the swarm tried to catch us up. But we thankfully made it to the door and tried to shut the bunnies to the basement. But their force was too much that the door collapsed._

 _The bunnies overwhelmed us like an ocean wave. Benny and I climbed to the table in the living room, where see something big. Someone we already expected._

* * *

Normal POV

"It was her trap," Waldo ends with a cliffhanger, which jolts Lincoln.


	14. Two April Fools - Part 2

Waldo's POV

 _Like I said, it was someone we already expected._

 _The question is how was Luan able to erect a giant LED screen from the ceiling and bring it down at the right moment? But there it is. She appeared from LED monitor and delivered us this message:_

" _Why, isn't it my two adorable friends trapped on a table surrounded by my adorable rabbit friends. Isn't this a great time to drop by at the house?"_

 _As I feel the bunnies try to hop and grab my pants with their rather firm paws, Benny coaxed her, "Okay Luan, we already get your game! What do you want?"_

 _The giant head Luan, almost so monstrous as if her face appeared from the JumboTron, replies to us, "Glad you bring that up, right hare on our discussion. Wahahaha! Anyway, I like to present you this challenge: Rabbit Player One. I like that wordplay. I should use it a lot." (She really likes wordplay.) "Anyway, here's the challenge, Easter egg-hunting style. But in order to know what challenge it is specifically, solve the riddle that I sent you. If you do, press the buzzer to switch this transmission back on again and tell me the answer."_

" _Wait, where's the buzzer?" I asked._

" _Well, why don't you ask your new furry friends?" She pointed to the bunnies below us who are near at burying us to alive with their fluffy tails and cottony bodies._

" _That's all for now!" And that ends Luan's message. I really wonder where she is._

 _But the concern brings us to the rabbits below us._

 _I then initiated, "Okay Luan told us the answer is on the riddle. What could be the answer?"_

" _Well, she wrote to 'spot the unmatched'. And she was referring to Easter egg hunting on the first line," Benny assumes._

" _So it really is finding Gary from the rabbits."_

" _Right, but something bugs me. Why did she used the word 'unmatched'?"_

" _Because it rhymes?"_

" _Yeah, other than that, it relates to something else. Something very obvious in their nature."_

 _Benny has a particular point on that detail. That immediately made me nervous. I know because I also happen to be shuddering in laxity when that particular nature instinct is mentioned._

 _He then points to me, "Do you know?"_

" _Uhhh…no. Really no. How should we ask like that?" I denied of course. I have deep rabbit biology knowledge, but I do not tend to share it._

 _A rabbit hits the table hard. We are almost off-balance when the horde brings some weight when the rabbits nearly carried us with their strong heads. I'm kind of impressed but frightened at the same time._

 _I glanced the bunnies from the top and just recalled how much Gary and I are the worst enemies of each other. We were. But we took time. Or I took time to be caring with him. And it paid off. He is a real keeper._

 _Then I realized, "That's it! Gary's the clue. I mean we must Easter egg hunt Gary, or find him. Just find him from these bunnies."_

" _Okay," Benny replied. But some bunnies drop from the ceiling towards his head. Guess he is kind of unlucky since the critters cling to his shoulders. "Now we just have to tell Luan. Let's find that buzzer."_

" _Where could it be?" I tried checking around the room to see the buzzer. But none. All I see are rabbits, rabbits and rabbits._

 _Things get worse when two carrots fell to the table. Immediately, it was rabbit frenzy._

" _AHHHHHHH!" we scream. We jump to the couch and try to squeeze ourselves inside, waiting for the bunnies to stop surging to table._

 _I look up for signs of bunnies. And there are definitely bunnies coming from the dining room._

" _Where are these bunnies coming from?" Benny addressed to me._

" _I don't know," I answered. "You know how bunnies work?"_

" _I know how bunnies work!"_

 _I tried to search for a good sign. And voila, I spotted the buzzer on the floor. Luckily, there are few bunnies around. So I jumped for it and grabbed it immediately and switched immediately._

 _Luan then pops out from the LED screen again. "So, do you know your quest, my bunny guards?"_

" _Hehehe nice poke there, Luan," I said it in a kind of sarcastic way. "We know. We have to search for Gary as if it were an Easter egg hunt._

" _Ha! Glad you were able to accomplish that!" Luan said it with a sinister look on her face. It kind of scared us. "Now, for the next riddle: We know luck can come from a rabbit's foot | But don't be secure or even make hoot | Because the oak you seek found its new home | In a place where you see nothing but loam." And with that, Luan ends her transmission._

 _But we were both flabbergasted. We have no idea what Luan is talking about._

" _You know what she's talking about?" Benny asked me._

 _But like I said to him, "I don't know."_

 _The bunnies were what went to my mind now. I hoped that I may spot Gary from the swarm. But they are so countless and rowdy that it is impossible to set each apart._

" _What's the plan now?" Benny asked me again._

 _With a little hesitation, I suggested, "Let's go to a room somewhere. We need to decipher Luan's riddle first. And pronto."_

 _Benny gladly took that suggestion at heart and searched for a safer room to stay. He immediately spotted your folks' bedroom and we raced to it. "Let's go!" It was rather easy to lock ourselves in for a while with only two bunnies at sight._

 _I can hear Benny taking deep breaths and spouting non-sequiturs like "Now I know why I feel so much at home at my house" and "I thought this is Easter". We were both nervous and uncertain in the moment. So we took ourselves to solve Luan's riddle._

" _Okay, what did Luan say?"_

" _We know luck can come from a rabbit's foot | But don't be secure or even make hoot | Because the oak you seek found its new home | In a place where you see nothing but loam."_

" _Loam? Meaning soil?"_

" _I guess so."_

" _So, Gary must be on the ground. But why she mentioned oak?"_

" _Maybe, he could be hiding under an oak tree."_

" _Of course, an oak tree. But the Louds don't have an oak tree."_

" _Well, there's a lot around the neighborhood."_

" _Could it be a misnomer? Or something to encode. Like 'oak' can stand for something."_

 _At the point, Benny looked upon the window in the room to see something astonishing in the Loud's backyard. "Uhmmm Waldo, have you been in the backyard?"_

" _Not yet today. I only end up on the right side where the hatch is and where you are. Why?"_

" _Take a look at this."_

 _I followed what Benny said. And we stumbled upon something astonishingly horrifying: a bunny tube from the ground and leading to the pet door towards the kitchen._

 _Our jaws were dropped when we saw lots and lots of rabbits swarming from the tube and entering the Loud house in a ginormous scale. We almost wondered how is Luan able to execute this and importantly, where are the rabbits coming from._

" _That is indeed hare-raising," Benny quipped, a lame one at that. "Sorry…"_

 _But I also went along. "I guess this looks hop-less. Hehehe. Get it?" Mine was weaker though._

 _But back to business, Benny and I hopped from the window (pun intended) and followed the path of the tube that somehow traversed to other yards in the neighborhood._

" _Man, how was Luan able to pull this off?" I asked to myself._

" _Aren't you familiar of her pranks?" Benny reminded me._

" _I am. But…"_

" _Well, there's your answer." From there, I got frightened of what could transpire._

 _Since the tube was situated underground, we used a map to track down the path of the tube. Luckily, we found one on your mom's and dad's room. But the door burst and the bunny horde caught up. We shut the windows immediately and followed the path._

 _After a long trek that involved us halting traffic, dodging picnics and being chased by squirrels, we finally ended up on a playground near the community. The tube ended below the roots of the tree. So we checked out the hollow entrance from the roots._

 _There, we saw what we have been looking for this whole time. But there's something else more than what we expected. It's…It's…_

* * *

Normal POV

Suddenly, the bell rings for dismissal. "Dang it," Waldo utters.


	15. Two April Fools - Part 3

_Normal POV_

Before Waldo reveals the next part of his rabbit saga with Benny, Luan suddenly stumbles upon the two on the hall.

"Luan, it's you!" Lincoln greets him, but she never responds, nor notices her little brother.

The encounter becomes awkward, as both Luan and Waldo stand still with no word, no sound and no gesture. It is almost like it was hostile that they cross paths, aside from being good friends. Luan stares in unbelief that Waldo is right in front of her; while Waldo grinds his teeth, nervous on encountering the girl of his dreams.

Lincoln, having no knowledge on what is going on, decides to break the ice. "Ooookay, what's going on between you two?"

But the two remain still at each other.

Then suddenly, Benny enters the picture, approaching to Luan. "Luan, glad I catch up with you. I dug out my locker to look for my joke book. But then, I remembered I actually set it up as a trap for my clown buddies. Haha!" After spotting Waldo in the scene, he realizes the awkward situation that he just walked on. "Ohh uhhhh…"

"Let's just head to the library," Luan tells Benny, then drags him with her to the library.

Benny then looks back to Waldo and Lincoln and shrugs to them.

At that point, Waldo reverts from being anxious to being upset.

Being the only clueless person in the picture, Lincoln attempts to connect the dots from his sister's sudden conceited attitude towards Waldo to Benny's shrugging to Waldo's perspective on the story. But upon Luan's gesture of dragging Benny with her, he realizes that it could mean one thing. "Waldo, what happened to you and my sister?" he asks to confirm.

With a deep sigh, Waldo continues the story, "It's scary. And it's painful."

* * *

 _Waldo's POV_

 _We stumbled upon the tree where we tracked down Gary's hideout. There, we never expected for him to actually find love with a female rabbit. And guess what? They bred…a lot._

 _There we are, looking inside that hollow tree with a bunch of rabbits. Identical in shape, size and color. I wish they were clones. But they were not. They were real rabbits from the union of Gary and Carrie. (I actually named the girl bunny.)_

" _That's a lot of bunnies," Benny remarks to me. "I never would imagine they would be this many."_

" _Yeah…I…yeah…" I stutter. Well, you can only realize that I fall as an unreliable narrator._

" _But there's one thing though. I always see Gary in his cage. And Luan has several other bunnies. But I never saw her bring out Gary and have him play with other rabbits. But now, it seems he has some bunny to love. Hehe…"_

" _I get the joke," I said dryly to Benny because I used that joke thousands of times._

" _Yeah but how? How was Gary able to find a mate?" Benny then deduces, "Unless he got out of his cage, got mixed up on Luan's secret rabbit patch and found a room where the two…you know…"_

" _I get the joke!"_

" _It's not a joke. And why you're being so defensive?"_

" _You know, never mind. Let's just bring Gary away from this." I was about to reach out to Gary. But his hostility towards me resumed and he bit me. "AHHHHH! OW! GARY!" I can almost see its hostile face. Those eyes, they will haunt me._

 _Benny then asks me, "Okay, he is unconvinced. What do we do?"_

" _Well, we could set up a diversion and lure them with a giant carrot or something."_

" _Or maybe just distract them with a smell of carrot on our bodies."_

" _With pleasure!" Luan lends her scary voice via AVR transmission. We don't know what's going to happen. But a mallet suddenly swings at us, and we got pushed inside the tree like cartoon squirrels._

 _We found ourselves in the company of rabbits. But the bark we landed didn't last long, and we find ourselves, hurtling down to a metal tube. Who would knew that a mad genius like Luan would set up a tube system like that? Well, if you suddenly find a company of rabbits on your bed one day, I guess you have to set up this elaborate scheme._

 _There we are, two stooges falling down and screaming at the top of our lungs. We eventually landed on a metal floor. But Benny keeps screaming…and screaming…and screaming._

 _I then snapped him out. "Cut it, Benny! We're safe!"_

" _Good. But where are the rabbits?"_

 _At the last minute, we saw the minutes exiting a secret hatch that suddenly opened when we landed. We tried to catch one bunny but my left hand suddenly got jammed by the closing door. It was painful. "AHHH! Benny! A little help!"_

" _I gotcha!" One…two…three, he helped me pull my hand out of the hatch._

 _Now with that out of the way, our attentions turned on the underground we arrived on._

" _Where are we?" Benny asks._

" _Maybe we're in Lisa's secret bunker or something."_

" _A good guess but nope." Luan's AVR log sounded off again. And this time, she turned to us via a giant LED screen that descended from above. Her face appeared on the screen, as if she is Big Brother. Nothing new though, since she used that screen earlier. "Welcome to my secret rabbit facility. I have to build this thing, just because one of you allowed Gary to mingle and multiply."_

 _We both gulp at what she said._

 _She continued, "Now, welcome to the last death trap." At her signal, a goop of mashed carrot pulps fell on us to let us be covered with carrots._

" _Luan, you better let us know what you are doing," Benny insisted._

" _Okay chill, I am letting you know." Her tone changed to something sinister. "Just tell me: who allowed Gary to do this?" At that point, the hatches around us opened up and the swarm of rabbits from earlier were somehow summoned to this giant rabbit cage and converged to gobble us up._

 _Yes, really._

 _The rabbits lunged towards us and had a piece of the carrot mushes covered up on us. More carrot mush fell from a tube above, covering us again with carrot shake. One can say that it is cute that rabbits gathered on our entire body; this was not the case._

 _It was almost like a horror movie on how they swarm all over our bodies. I do not wish to think about that horror movie where the rabbits are the rabid infestations to human flesh._

" _Come on, guys. All it needs is one man to confess."_

" _I wasn't the one who did it," Benny admitted to me._

 _Then I also admitted, "I took good care of Gary. Why would I allow him to cause this?"_

 _We hear more bunnies thumping their paws from the hard plastic tubes. They flowed out of the tubes like raging water. We try to back them off by taking them by hand. But they were too many that we tend to fall back down._

" _Guys, it just needs a confession…" Luan insisted._

 _But we kept our mouths mum._

" _I know I did not!" Benny confesses._

" _Neither did I!" I followed._

 _But that does nothing to stop from more bunnies to converge. Good grief, they were so countless that it would take a giant suction machine to nab them all. But neither of us are experts on that._

" _Guys, who?"_

 _But we keep silent._

" _Who?!"_

 _None of us admitted._

 _Then, at the top of her lungs, and being the most serious she has ever been, Luan shouted, "WHO?!"_

 _I cannot help but spill all the beans. "Alright! It was me! It was me! I let Gary mingle with another rabbit. I left him alone while I was guarding him. I know. I am sorry!"_

 _Finally getting what she needed, Luan transmitted a signal for the rabbits to instinctively hop out of the underground cage and somewhere Luan designated them to be. Only one rabbit was left behind: Gary._

 _I looked at him. And I said, "Gary, I really messed this up. Kind of jerkish. So, I hope that you would forgive for all of this."_

 _Rather than be offended, Gary hopped towards my leg and rubbed its head on it. He was cuddling my leg, and it was delightful._

 _That is however interrupted by Luan, when she arrived from a secret door. It turned out that Luan never left the house, and had been watching us all this time._

" _So…you…" she said to me._

" _Luan, I am really sorry…" I tried to explain to her, but she shushed me._

" _You promised to take care of Gary and not to let Gary go in trouble."_

" _But I did take care of Gary. And yes, I admit I made one mistake. But it's not like a big deal."_

" _Oh really?" Her tone there was really harsh. Luan then showed by a box filled with her priced belongings, all having bite marks and little nibbles from the rabbits. The harshest casualty was Mr. Coconuts, who was disassembled. It looked horrible. "Tell me, is this big?"_

 _I have nothing to say. If it weren't for my keen eye, I would have Gary safe and sound. It was all my fault there. "I'm…I…" I stuttered, "I am sorry."_

" _I just need time to regain my trust on my friend." She then swiped Gary to her arm and turned her back on me. She then called out to Benny, "Benny, pick up the box. We gotta fix the house."_

 _Benny was also speechless from that. "Uhmm…"_

" _Benny!"_

 _With no other choice, he took the box and left with her. But not before leaving me with a pat on the back. "Sorry dude. It was nice meeting you."_

 _Then the two of them left me and walked away. Lonely me._


	16. Two April Fools - Part 4

After narrating him the whole story – the entire scenario took place at Waldo's comic book store, Waldo leans on the glass case in total upset.

"Uhmmm Waldo, you still have customers," Lincoln reminds.

"Tell them to go away," Waldo mumbles while smooshing his face to the glass.

"Just give me a second," Lincoln says to the two nerd customers, to which they reluctantly do so. Then, he tries to console Waldo from the upset he is facing. "Look Waldo, we have our down moments sometimes. And we always think that things will go on our way. But…really, it does not."

"Get to the point, Lincoln."

"Okay, the point is, Waldo, you have to take a hold of yourself. We make mistakes, sure. But it doesn't mean we will repeat them, unless we make them right."

He then raises his head, now dried up in tears. "So, what you are saying is I need to make my mistakes right?"

"Well, not all…"

"Try to help me at least," Waldo reeks in self-pity.

Ultimately, Lincoln convinces him, "Hey, some friends I have make mistakes. And what they do to forget their mistakes is either two things: move on with their lives or do any sort of good deed to regain our trust again."

"A good deed?"

Lincoln nods.

With that, Waldo wipes his tears away after he picks up an idea. "Any good thing will do, right?"

"Yeah, as long as you mean it to Luan."

The Asian-American then shows his determined face to Lincoln, which makes him raise an eyebrow.

"What are you planning to do?"

* * *

The next morning, a Saturday, everyone in the Loud House is tucked in their beds, not having any care or appointment for the rest of the day.

But in the midst of the calming silence, the song "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel breaks the silence.

Luan abruptly wakes from the sudden tune of the song and heads to the window to check on it. It turns out the song is being played on a boombox, carried by none other than Waldo, mimicking the iconic scene in _Say Anything_.

However for Luan, she is unable to say anything about this stint. She instead shuts the window and ignores him.

Yet Waldo keeps his faith on waiting for Luan's forgiveness.

In the room, Luna also hears the song. "Dude, that song is kind of awesome. Who's playing?"

But the embittered Luan shuts the window slides. "You don't need to know about it. In my eyes, it sucks. Pun intended."

"Harsh dude…" Luna then looks to the window and spots a desperate Waldo.

Being the compassionate person that she is, wanting to give a fine tune to her friends and peers, the rocker heads down to the yard and towards Waldo. "Dude, you should do something else."

"This is the best I can do," Waldo says.

"No, no, no." Luna then turns off the boombox and emphasizes her. "Look, Peter Gabriel is a cool guy in the 80's. But there's a better way to win back Luan's trust."

"Like how? I mean I have a whole list of them." Waldo then shows his "Ways for Luan to Forgive Me" list, which contains 'play that song from _Say Anything_ ', 'bring a nursery of bunnies to the Loud House', 'write a comic strip about bunnies', 'sew clothes for Gary', 'give Mr. Coconuts a wife' and 'do her chores for three months'. "I think I should cross this out." He then marks an X over 'play that song from _Say Anything_ '.

"These are all the things you need to make Luan forgive you?"

"Well, yeah. Why?"

After receiving that unconfident answer, Luna immediately crumples the paper and throws it aside.

"Luna, my list!"

"You don't need a list, bro, to make Luan think you are worthy of another shot. You just need to stick right up and be yourself."

"Luna, I need her to more than just forgive me. I want her!"

Luna calms Waldo down from being too personal. "Easy there, dude. Your wanting meter has raised to eleven. You can't hurry love. Luan have liked some boys. But she's not in a hurry."

"She has Benny!"

"So, give her time. They might just be too close, but they haven't been official, right?"

Waldo at the break of petty tears agrees with Luna's point.

She then pats his head for his remorse. "Give her time. So, wanna jam?"

He agrees. And after that, with Luan taking the time out of the house, Luna offers her time to jam with Waldo with some emo songs that they come across, like "Perfect" by Simple Plan, "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter, "Definitely Maybe" by FM Static and a sad version of "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. Waldo effortlessly sings.

* * *

Few days later, after his school, Waldo tends to the customers of the comic book store. He is contented and willing to serving those who enter the store.

But when most of the customers disperse, Luan suddenly shows up in the store. She is carrying a rectangular plastic container.

As a response, Waldo acts courteous towards her. "Good afternoon ma'am. Anything I can do for you? Comics? Books?"

However, Luan is kind of out of character with her nervousness and subtle reluctance showing. "Hey there…"

With her sudden mutter, Waldo sticks to being professional. "So shall I recommend the latest joke books we have?"

"No, it's not that Waldo. I want to talk to you."

Hearing that, he calls out to his coworker Nancy to guard the store. Afterwards, he boldly confronts his friend, "Yeah, what is it?"

"Look, I've been thinking." Luan tries to voice out her thoughts, but she keeps sighing along the way. Nevertheless, she takes the guts to be frank to Waldo. "I want my friend back. And I am sorry it took me so long to do this. So, now you know we are not Canadian."

Despite her confession of being late to forgiving him, Waldo has breathing room to chuckle at her quip in the end. "Well, it's not eyy big deal."

They both laugh at sharing much Canadian jokes before Luan settles in what she came for.

"Hey, there's a gig this Saturday. I thought I might need you. Benny has to take care of his sick grandma. So, I need a helper. And I got to you. I really need my friend. So I…"

Waldo is just wide-eyed at the confession that Luan needs him as a friend. Indeed, she may have taken a long time to forgive him. But he is finally glad at his best friend admitting a need. For that, he immediately confirms, "Sure."

"Really?"

Waldo nods.

And with that, Luan embraces Waldo. "Thanks! By the way, I brought someone with me."

Waldo wonders what she is talking about.

Luan then reveals the plastic container has Gary inside. It immediately hops right on Waldo's shoulders, indicating how much he misses him. In return, Waldo cuddles him, much to Luan's delight.

For that Saturday, Luan has Waldo appear as the Waldo character, wherein kids find him and fire water guns at him. Though soaked, Waldo is happy to help Luan.


End file.
